


A Change of Fate-Loki Fanfiction set Pre-Thor (Book 1 of the Fate Series)

by katethewriter81



Series: The Fate Series [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 1970s, Asgard (Marvel), F/M, Feels, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Loki (Marvel), Hurt Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki fluff, Marvel Universe, Miðgarðr | Midgard, POV Loki (Marvel), Protective Loki (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28676526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katethewriter81/pseuds/katethewriter81
Summary: Before the Frost Giants, before the Battle of New York...there was her.The 1970's-New York City. A young Asgardian manages a bustling Chelsea nightclub, growing increasingly bored with the crowds of youthful Midgardians that revel in the pulsating music and free-flowing alcohol. But all that changes in one night, with one glance. And one young mortal woman who could change the course of his entire life.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Fate Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101743
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Every Day Exactly the Same

**New York, 1977**

The night raged at Club Valhalla, the pounding music filling the room, reaching even the manager in his perch high above the dance floor. He could almost feel it seeping through his skin, into his bones. He paced the length of his office, glancing occasionally through the glass wall at the swirling mass of bodies below. Young mortals, intoxicated with alcohol and the raw energy of life, gyrated wildly, the lights flashing off their bright shimmering clothes. It was a rainbow down there. A pulsing, living snapshot of pure unbridled abandon to pleasure.

He was beginning to hate it.

When he first came to Midgard, it was out of sheer boredom. Boredom and the need to put a little distance between him and his older brother. Thor cared for little beyond training and fighting, pastimes that quickly lost their appeal for a younger, less brawny sibling. It had become stifling, living in his brother's shadow, and so when his father had given him the opportunity to come to Midgard, to observe the mortals as if he was one of them, Loki had jumped at the chance. At most he'd expected to spend a few weeks in Midgard before Odin called him home. But it had been months. Perhaps his father had forgotten he even existed.

Loki sighed, stopping to face the window, his hands loosely clasped behind him. He had acquired this nightclub because he enjoyed the chaos of it, the way these young mortals gave themselves over to the dancing and to each other every night, with no thought of tomorrow. Lately he'd begun to feel they gave no thought to anything. Their lives seemed so...temporary.

He idly scanned the room below, his mind a million miles away. At first he barely noticed the newest arrivals to the club, a group of young women in short skirts and shiny, thigh-high boots, looking eerily similar to those crowding the room already. They huddled together at the edge of the dance floor for a moment before making their way into the crush of people. All but one. Her companions grabbed her arms and tried to pull her along with them, but she shook her head, waving them off. As they wandered into the crowd, she took a seat at one of the small tables that edged the dance floor and pulled something from her bag, a curtain of dark hair falling across her face as she bent forward.

Loki frowned, taking a step closer to the window. What was she doing? She couldn't possibly be...He smiled faintly. It was the first time he'd ever seen anyone come to this club and just read. He wondered what the book was, and in the next instant, why he really cared. He took a step back. Of course he didn't care, it was probably one of those ridiculous romance novels girls on Midgard were so fond of. He spun away from the window, his fingers ruffling through the papers that littered the top of his desk. Finally his hand stilled and he sighed in annoyance. He glanced back at the window.

It was curiosity, that was all. Or so he told himself as he strode down to the dance floor, the music hitting him like a physical assault. He made his way through the squirming, sweaty bodies to the bar, where he had a good view of the girl's table a few feet away. She was absorbed in her book, chin resting on one hand, and he was close enough now to read the cover. There was no photo of a muscular, barely clothed man as he'd been expecting.

"Hey, boss, is there a problem?" The bartender, a young man with hair in a slicked-back ponytail was at his elbow, wiping a glass and frowning slightly. Loki rarely ventured out of his office during business hours unless it was to fire someone.

He smiled. "Not at all. Do you see that girl over there reading?"

The bartender glanced over and then nodded.

"I would like you to take her a glass of pinot, compliments of the house." The young man moved off, but Loki stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Do not point me out to her."

He watched as the bartender filled a glass and headed to the girl's table. She raised her head, frowning, and although Loki was too far away to hear them, he could tell she was trying to refuse the offer. The bartender replied, and her eyes shot immediately to the glass-walled office above. Then she shrugged, taking a sip from the glass before going back to her book.

He waited a few minutes more before slowly moving toward her table. As he looped around behind her chair he leaned down, his voice low against her ear.

"Most people come here to dance."

He watched her while moving around the table. She met his gaze coolly, holding her place in the book, apparently expecting just another momentary distraction. Loki spread his fingertips on the table in front of her, leaning in slightly.

"You are the first, in fact, to come to read Homer."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled. "Maybe that's what's wrong with the world."

Her eyes were deep and dusky, their color impossible to decipher in the club lights, and Loki found himself staring a little longer than he intended. He straightened.

"So you are here to start a revolution then?"

She chuckled. "No, I'm here because my friends insisted. These places...they're not really my kind of thing."

"Really? You do not enjoy the total abandon, the rush of freedom?" He smiled a little as he spoke, but her face was serious.

"Freedom is life's greatest lie." They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then she smiled. "Sorry. I'm told I get a little too philosophical at times."

Loki shook his head. "No, that is quite alright. _I_ am sorry that you do not find my place more stimulating."

He enjoyed the startled look in her eyes as they moved between his face and the glass of wine on the table. Still, her finger remained firmly planted between the pages of her book and Loki made a swift and slightly irrational decision. He would not leave until he'd made her put that maddening thing _down_.

" _Your_ place?"

He nodded.

"Thank you for the wine, then, Mr..."

He hesitated for a moment. Since arriving in Midgard, he'd been using a mortal name but now he inexplicably felt the urge to tell her the truth. He brushed the thought aside.

"Lawson."

Her eyebrows rose. "Not the name I would have expected for someone running a club called Valhalla."

"You'd prefer something a bit more...Norwegian perhaps?"

He smiled, and _finally_ she closed her book and set it aside. She gestured at the chair beside him.

"Would you care to join me, Mr Lawson?"

He hesitated for an instant before sliding into the chair. "Are you going to tell me your name, or shall I guess?"

She tilted her head to one side. "While that might be entertaining, I don't think you'd be successful. My name is Rona."

His eyebrows rose. "An appropriate name for a patron of Club Valhalla."

She shrugged. "My parents enjoyed Nordic culture. It means mighty strength, although I'm not sure they got quite what they were expecting."

He sighed. "Well, who can know with parents?"

He was beginning to wish he'd stayed in his office. Somehow she was getting in his head, lowering his guard. Her eyes were playing tricks on him.

She looked away, frowning, her brow slightly creased. "So we know why I'm here."

Her eyes met his, and he felt an unaccustomed jolt. He sucked a breath in through his teeth as she leaned toward him.

"But why are _you_?"


	2. Dangerous

Loki smiled. "I believe we have already established that. This _is_ my club."

Rona glanced away, her gaze scanning the room. "Yes, but it doesn't really seem like your sort of scene either."

His eyes followed hers around the dance floor and he shrugged a little. "It's exciting, don't you think?"

"I think it's rather pointless. Drinking and dancing, going home with a different person every night." Her eyes landed on him again. "Shouldn't there be something more than that?" He was silent, and finally she shook her head. "But who am I to talk? My life is just as pointless as the rest of them. I've just always felt like somehow I was meant for something more."

Once again her eyes were locked on his, piercing it seemed into his very soul. He couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that she was reading his mind. He tore his eyes from hers, glancing down at the pendant swinging from her neck. About the size of his thumb, jagged around the edges, the metal dull and pitted, it hardly looked like jewelry at all. He reached out, fingers sliding beneath it to lift it off her chest. 

"What is this?"

"A family heirloom."

He ran his thumb across the symbols etched on the front, the blurred and faded shapes vaguely familiar. "Do you know what it means?"

She shook her head. "My father gave it to me. It's probably just some useless relic." Her fingers closed around his as they clasped the necklace. He felt the warmth of them spreading through his hand. "But it makes me feel safe."

Loki heard voices growing louder behind him, and he knew her friends were approaching. He felt a mixture of relief and annoyance at having to leave the conversation. He smiled, extricating his hand from her grasp. "I'm sorry, but I've ignored my duties for too long."

She nodded as he rose from the table. "Thank you again for the wine. Mr Lawson."

The way she said the name made him pause, a hand on the back of the chair, inexplicably wishing it was his _real_ name instead. Then he bowed his head slightly before spinning around to leave. He refused to look back. It had been a mistake to leave his office in the first place, just to talk to some silly mortal girl. When he reached the stairs he glanced back, certain that she would be chatting with her friends, already forgetting him. She _was_ chatting, smiling, sipping her wine. But even as he watched, her eyes met his. He couldn't look away.

***

Loki told himself that he had been too long on Midgard if one of their women actually intrigued him. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this girl was somehow...different. Days went by, and she didn't return to the club. He grew more bored than ever. He needed to just forget all this foolishness and go home. He needed to...he needed to see her again.

He made one of his rare trips to the dance floor two weeks later, idly weaving his way through the crowd when he happened to glance over and see a group of girls at a table in the corner, laughing loudly and apparently already several drinks into the night. He had a way with faces and even from a distance he recognized them as Rona's friends. _She_ was nowhere to be seen. He hesitated before moving slowly across the room toward them. There were four girls, all with pouffy, boisterous hair and too much makeup, and they were so busy jabbering away to one another that they didn't see him approach.

"Ladies." They all glanced up at him in surprise, a couple of them whispering to each other at the far side of the table. Loki smiled, knowing they recognized him as the owner of the club. "Are you enjoying yourselves tonight?"

Muffled giggles from around the table and then the girl closest to him spoke up. "Absolutely."

"You've been here before, haven't you?"

She looked surprised. "Yes, a couple of weeks ago. How did you know that?"

He smiled. "I never forget when such lovely young women come to my club." More giggles. He thought one or two actually blushed. "But weren't there more of you?"

The girl frowned, glancing at the others. She started to shake her head when another girl broke in. "Yes, Rona was with us."

The first girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah, she was a blast. She didn't even do anything, she just sat here and read a dumb book." Loki struggled to keep the smile on his face, finding this girl exceptionally irritating. "You'd think she gets enough of books, being around them _all_ day."

He frowned. "Oh?"

"She works at the library." The second girl, a petite redhead, spoke again. Out of all of them, she seemed to be paying the most attention to this conversation.

He smiled at her. "And which library would that be?"

She raised her eyebrows, surprised, it seemed, by his interest in Rona's occupation. "The Muhlenberg. On West 23rd?"

"Ah, yes, of course." He glanced around the table with a smile. "Well, have a good time this evening, ladies. I'll send over another round on the house."

***

The next morning, Loki took a little stroll through the city. Autumn had set in, and he enjoyed the new chill in the air, the green leaves that were already starting to turn. Perhaps he should stay on Midgard a little longer, he had heard about the riot of colors in the fall, and he thought he'd quite like to see it.

He paused on the steps of the library, a rather modest three-story building, and yet the task of locating one small woman seemed daunting. Although, even if he didn't find her, he supposed there were worse places to spend an afternoon.

He took the form of some random man who was leaving the library just as Loki entered and began to wander through the shelves, not spotting Rona anywhere. So he climbed the staircase and started on the second floor. He found himself in a section called science-fiction, where most of the books appeared to be about beings from other worlds. The idea amused him and for a few minutes, while he flipped through the volumes, he nearly forget his purpose for visiting the library.

Until she passed right in front of him. She carried a handful of books, her hair in a long braid that bounced against her back, and she didn't notice him at all. He watched as she continued down the center aisle and then disappeared around a shelf. Rounding the corner, he saw she'd climbed a ladder that leaned against the shelves and begun placing the books in their assigned spots. The hem of her white shirt rose slightly as she reached for the top shelf. He blamed the sight of that thin strip of smooth skin and her sudden fumbling of the book in her hand as the distraction that caused him to revert to his true self.

He stepped forward, catching the book just before it tumbled to the floor, and as he looked up at her he realized that she was seeing _him._ Her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes wide with surprise. He had forgotten how they seemed to burn.

"Of course I would find the girl who reads a book in a nightclub at a library." He smiled, stepping forward and handing her the book. She just kept staring at him, not saying a word, and then she turned and placed the book on the shelf.

"You broke the illusion." She started climbing down the ladder as she spoke, not looking at him, and so she didn't see the sudden look of shock that crossed his face.

"What?" The word came out slightly incredulous, in one short, breathless gasp.

She looked at him then, one side of her mouth quirking into a tiny smile. "I was halfway to convincing myself that you were a vampire. And here you are, out in the daylight."

He laughed a little in relief. "I am most definitely _not_ a vampire."

She sighed, eyes still on his. "What a shame. How fantastically dangerous that would have been."

He took a step forward, holding her gaze, his voice dropping. "I didn't say I'm not dangerous."

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and Loki thought how different she was from those girls she had been with, in her simple clothes and loosely braided hair. Her face was clean of makeup, except for those eyes, ringed thickly in black that made them seem even larger. Finally she broke the silence.

"Can I help you?" When he frowned, she continued. "You came here looking for something, didn't you?"

He nodded. "But I've already found it." Her eyebrows rose, and he smiled, sliding his gaze to the side. He plucked a book off the shelf beside him, holding it up in front of her.

Rona chuckled a little as she took the book from him. She glanced at the cover and then back up at him. "T.S. Eliot?"

"Would you recommend it?"

"Well, it's not ancient mythology, but...sure." She brushed past him, heading for the checkout desk in the center of the room. He followed easily, his long coat flapping around his legs.

"Your friends were in the club again last night."

She made a huffing sound. "I'm only surprised they aren't in there every night. And they're hardly my friends. They're my cousin's friends. She thinks I don't get out enough." She rounded the desk, laying the book down and holding out her hand toward him. When he frowned she waggled her fingers at him. "I need your library card."

"I don't have one."

She sighed, flipping open the book and removing the check-out card on the inside. Her head bent over the desk, she picked up a pen and started entering numbers. "I'll check it out with my card. But if you lose it or anything, I will be in very big trouble."

He leaned forward, his voice a silky whisper stirring her hair. "Then you're giving me such great power over you, is that right?"

She appeared unfazed by his sudden proximity, stamping the card before placing it back in the book. "It's a library card, not the keys to my soul." She straightened, holding the book out toward him. "But I don't part with either one very easily."

He studied her for a moment, her nearly unblinking gaze and slightly parted lips that trembled just on the edge of a smile. Then he reached for the book, his fingers sliding across hers as he pulled it from her grasp. "In that case, I will be very mindful of the favor."


	3. The Puzzle of a Girl

Loki mused over the encounter as he walked back to his club. This girl...something about the way she held herself fascinated him, as if she was waiting for the chance to take a massive leap, to dive off a precipice and let life carry her away. He shook his head at the melodrama. Still, the way she looked at him when he told her he was dangerous. She wasn't afraid.

Irritation filled him now. He had meant to see her, to prove to himself that she was nothing, no one special at all. Now he only had more questions. Not that having questions was anything new to him. As a child, he'd always been inquisitive, pestering his parents with endless queries. From a young age, he had simply wanted to understand _why_ things were. Odin had little patience for it, but Frigga, his mother, she had always been ready to explain or to give him the tools to learn for himself.

So he would treat this little problem like he did every other. He would strip away all the layers, break it down to its ultimate core, and when he completely understood its intricacies, then he would be satisfied. And then he would return home. He smiled as he let himself into the club and climbed the stairs to his studio apartment on the third floor. He had come here to observe, so he would observe. This girl was nothing more than a puzzle to be solved.

He tossed the book on a table in his apartment and promptly forgot about it for three days. When he finally remembered it, on his way out the door, he stuck it in his pocket, thinking he'd find a spare moment to read after a token appearance downstairs. But it turned out to be an exceptionally busy night at the club, and Loki wound up helping out behind the bar, only remembering the book in his pocket when the last customer had left. Sending the bartender home, he finished wiping down the bar, and then sat down and began flipping through the book. It didn't occur to him that he had neglected to lock the door until he heard the faint grating sound as it scraped across the concrete sidewalk.

"I'm sorry, we're closed." He turned a page without looking up.

"Shall I come back tomorrow then?" Her voice echoed in the empty room. Loki turned to see Rona standing at the end of the bar, smiling softly. "Apparently I'm not the only one who brings a book to a nightclub."

He chuckled. "At least _I_ am dressed appropriately." He looked pointedly at her jeans and loose plaid shirt. She shrugged, smiling again, and then moved forward to sit on the barstool next to him.

"Well, I didn't exactly come for clubbing." She was close enough that her shoulder brushed his as she leaned forward, and he felt his pulse spike unexpectedly.

"No?"

She shook her head. "I came to make sure you're taking care of that book." She looked at him sternly. "I _am_ responsible for it, you know."

"Ah." He turned on the stool to face her, leaning on one arm, his palm flat against the bar. "And if I weren't?" He raised an eyebrow. "What then?"

She pulled back a little, looking at him thoughtfully. "You would have to be held accountable." When he chuckled, she leaned toward him, her voice dropping lower. "And you would _definitely_ owe me."

Loki's eyes widened. _Him?_ Owe _her?_ She had no idea who she was talking to, he would never be beholden to some weak little mortal....then he saw the faintest glint in her eyes, saw that she was almost holding her breath waiting for him to speak. Was she playing with _him?_ Well, she would soon learn that she had chosen a dangerous game. 

He hooked a foot in the bottom of her stool, dragging it closer and planting his left hand on the back. He essentially surrounded her now, and the way her cheeks pinkend as she realized that pleased him. Her eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but at his face, and he could almost see her thinking about being here, late at night, alone with an admittedly dangerous man. He smiled.

"I am not in the habit of _owing_ anyone." His voice was low, silky and yet firm at the same time. "Usually it's the other way around."

Her eyes landed on his, startling him. There was not a single trace of fear inside them. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you hunted me down at work."

He pulled back. "I didn't..."

Now she was the one leaning forward, her fingers brushing his on the top of the bar. "Do you really expect me to believe that you came to the library to check out a book without a library card?"

His mouth opened and then closed without a sound. He glanced away. "Aren't you clever?" For the briefest moment neither of them moved. Then he met her gaze again. "I guess you've caught me." He smiled. "Are you going to hold me accountable for that?" He mocked.

She laughed a little. "I haven't decided yet. I suppose it depends on what exactly you want from me."

Loki stared at her. He could still feel her fingers pressing against his, distracting him and making him forget everything but the thought of sliding his hand across her skin. What did he want from her? Earlier he thought he knew the answer to that. He wanted an amusing little game, a distraction from his growing boredom. Now she was proving to be a different sort of distraction altogether.

"I am undecided as well." His voice was nearly a whisper. He realized for the first time how close they were, so close he could feel her breath on his face. His own breathing quickened. Who was playing with who now?

Rona slid off her stool. "Well, when you figure that out, I guess you can find me again." She turned toward the door, and Loki rose from his seat.

"How am I going to do that?"

She glanced back at him. "You strike me as being pretty clever yourself." She smiled. "I'm sure it'll come to you."

***

Loki found himself extremely confused. He had thought he had his interest in Rona figured out and then she showed up and completely changed everything. Every time he saw her, he had the peculiar feeling she could look right through him, read him like a page in one of her books. No one had ever done that _so_ quickly, so accurately. Why couldn't he get her out of his head, what _did_ he want from her?

Then he realized that wasn't the right question at all. What he should be wondering was what did _she_ want from _him_? True, he had tracked her down at her place of work. But then _she_ had sought _him_ out. And why? Apparently to show him he wasn't as clever as he thought. Now she seemed to be daring him, challenging him to find her once again. Well, that wouldn't be quite as difficult as she thought.

He would simply follow her home from work. She would never notice him, because he would be in the form of an unremarkable fellow New Yorker. Or maybe several, just in case she got suspicious of the same person being behind her all the way. It sounded incredibly easy, and he was very pleased with himself for outsmarting her.

He waited outside of the library until she came trotting down the steps, her hair floating loose around her shoulders. When she hit the sidewalk she turned left without a pause, passing right by him. He could have reached out and touched the thin sweater she wore over her flowered dress. He kept a safe distance as he followed, watching the way she weaved through the sporadic clots of people, occasionally glancing around from side to side. He found himself admiring how sure of herself she seemed, a young attractive woman alone in a large city as the sun slowly died in the sky. She walked with her head up, no sign of nervousness or fear. 

It surprised him when she stopped and turned into a brown brick building and he realized they were only a few blocks away from his club. All this time, she'd been so close. He stood on the sidewalk, debating what to do next, when she appeared on a balcony a few floors up. Her face was shadowed by the light from the room behind her, but he knew she was looking at him.

"Well done." He couldn't tell by the tone of her voice if it pleased her that he'd found her so quickly or not. "Come on up. Number six twenty-two." She disappeared inside.

Loki entered the building, climbing the stairs to the sixth floor, and had raised a fist to knock on the apartment door when it swung open. Rona paused for a moment, smiling at him, and then moved back to let him in. "I guess you're pretty clever after all." She led him into the living room. "This is my cousin Lex."

The redhead who had told him where Rona worked sat on the couch watching television and she barely glanced up as they came in. Rona turned to Loki. "I'll be back in a minute." She walked into a nearby room, shutting the door behind her. Loki watched her go before turning around to find her cousin staring at him.

"She's not easy." He frowned at her. "Rona. She's the least easy person I know. So if that's what you're expecting, you're out of luck."

Loki smiled. "I can assure you, if I thought she was _easy_ , I wouldn't be here."

"Ready to go?" Rona appeared again, her hair twisted up on the back of her head, her face glowing pinkly as if it had just been scrubbed. He felt slightly disappointed that her hair wasn't loosely flowing anymore.

"Go?"

She nodded. "To dinner."

***

They went to a tiny Chinese restaurant nearby. Loki found the chopsticks a little difficult to handle at first. Rona, who used them like she'd been born with them in her hand, had to show him how to hold his fingers until he finally managed to get some food into his mouth.

"So, Mr. Clever, where are you from?"

He smiled. "Somewhere very far from here."

She raised an eyebrow. "Does it have a name?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't have heard of it."

She shrugged, and popped a snow pea into her mouth. "Did you run a nightclub there, too?" He shook his head. "So what did you do?"

Loki sighed. "So many questions. Are you a spy?"

"Unfortunately not." She laughed a little as she caught his frown. "Well, you have to admit, that would be an interesting job to have." She looked away, idly playing with the rice on her plate. "You ever feel like you're not the same as everyone you know?"

He didn't answer for a moment, and then he laid his chopsticks down. "I am the youngest son in a...prominent family. Before I came here, I spent my time lost in my older brother's shadow, watching him do the _stupidest_ things." He sighed. "Yes. I know exactly what you mean."

Rona watched him silently, her chin resting on the back of her hand. Then she smiled. "Come on. I want to show you something."

Loki scolded himself as they left the restaurant for opening up to her like that. He was usually so much better at deflecting people's questions. What was it about her? And where was she taking him?

"What are we doing here?" She had led him to a park, some random stretch of concrete circled by benches and completely deserted.

"You'll see." She grinned, and Loki was suddenly suspicious. He stopped, about to refuse to go any farther, when a burst of water shot up from the ground beneath him. Looking around, he could see water shooting up everywhere, the whole patch of sidewalk full of miniature hidden fountains. Rona stood in the grass a few feet away, bone-dry. And she was laughing.

"Oh, you are a tricky little thing, aren't you?" He smiled, and then suddenly reached for her arm, pulling her into fountains with him. She squealed, darting away from one of the jets, and he chased after her, swinging her around until a burst of water finally drenched her. "Now maybe you'll think twice before tricking _me_."

They were both laughing now, Loki holding her by the shoulders in front of him. His gaze drifted down, caught by the glint of her necklace. He frowned. "Do you ever take that thing off?" 

His eyes flicked back up to her face to see her shake her head slowly. She was breathing heavily, her glittering eyes locked on his. The strangest urge hit him, and he reached for the knot of her hair, his fingers deftly locating the pins that held it in place. He slid them out, watching her hair tumble to her shoulders. Then he was leaning forward, watching her eyes slide shut just a moment before his, their mouths drawn to each other like magnets.

Until the jet they were standing on went off, dowsing them both. Loki took a step back, wiping water from his face, Rona's laughter ringing in his ears. When he looked up, he saw her moving toward the grass, her back to him, and a strange ache filled his chest. With a noise that might have been a snarl he waved his hand. The water became like stars, sparkling jewels, shooting into the air and falling back, surrounding Rona, landing on her hair and her clothes. She turned around, eyes wide in wonder, holding her hand out to catch the dazzling droplets. When they hit her skin they turned immediately back to their natural form and she stared at her damp palm as if she had never seen it before.

"How?" Her voice came in a whisper. She looked up at him as he drew closer, stopping just in front of her. A wave of his hand and the fountains were just as they'd always been. "Who are you? Really?"

"My name is Loki." He paused, seeing the glint of recognition in her eyes. "I am a god."

She shook her head. "Those are stories."

He nodded. "But I _am_ a prince. From another world."

"And you have...powers?"

"I have tricks. Illusions."

She stood quietly for a moment, watching his face. "Show me."

He drew back, frowning slightly. Then he turned, waving his hand, the tree beside them all at once a roaring inferno of flames. They watched as glowing embers floated on the breeze. Another gesture, and the tree stood untouched, the falling ash nothing more than drifting leaves. He looked back at Rona.

"You're wrong." She met his gaze. "That is a very great power indeed."


	4. Debt Collecting

He had expected to see fear in her eyes, possibly disdain. He had felt as soon as he performed the illusion that it was a mistake, that he had ruined everything. What he actually saw on her face came as a surprise. She looked at him with such...awe. Excitement, even.

"Are you not...afraid?"

She smiled. "Should I be?" Loki frowned and then slowly shook his head. Rona smiled again. "I didn't think so." She tilted her head. "I should be getting home. Walk me?"

For a few blocks they walked in silence, Loki considering what about this girl made him so...defenseless. What sort of enchantress was she?

"So are you going to tell me where you're from yet?" Rona was smiling at him, her question pulling him out of his musing.

He chuckled. "It's called Asgard." He thought he heard her whisper the word under her breath.

"And why did you come here? There must be other worlds. Why this one?"

Loki shrugged. "After a few hundred years, sometimes you need a change."

She glanced at him, laughing a little. "You were bored." He tilted his head. "That can't be the only reason."

He frowned. "Must there be a reason for everything?"

They had reached Rona's apartment building, and now she turned at the steps to face him. "Always. Even if we don't know what they are at first."

He shook his head, smiling. "There you are, being philosophical again. Have you read _every_ book in that library of yours?"

"Not quite all." She glanced down, her hair sliding forward and shadowing her face. She didn't raise her head as he stepped closer, so close that he could smell the faint sweet scent of her shampoo.

"You are the only one here who knows who I really am." His voice was low, surprisingly gentle. He saw her eyebrow rise, but her head remained bent toward the ground. "That means that now _you_ owe _me._ " She smiled, and then her eyes suddenly shot up to his. He felt his breathing quicken, his mind ridiculously consumed with the memory of her silky hair sliding through his fingers.

"Don't forget to collect on that sometime, then." Her voice was as hushed as his. She smiled again, and then she was gone, the glass door of the building slapping shut behind her. Loki stood there on the sidewalk for a moment, a chill seeping through his damp clothes. He smiled to himself.

"I don't intend to."

***

Irritation plagued him the next few days, and he wasn't sure whether it was directed at himself or Rona. On the one side, he couldn't believe that he had cracked so easily, that he had shown her who he truly was. To give a mortal such great power over him was simply absurd. Yet it had been like he almost couldn't help himself. One moment they had been inches apart, and the next, she was walking away from him and he had an overwhelming need to stop her. To make her turn around and stay. Why was she having this effect on him?

He managed to go two whole days without seeing her again. After all, he didn't want to look desperate. He left the club in the care of his assistant manager and walked the three blocks to Rona's building. When he knocked on the apartment door, he felt an odd sense of anticipation. Until the door swung open and a very unsmiling face surrounded by a halo of red hair greeted him.

Lex held the door open a crack, her face a mask of disapproval. "Can I help you?"

Loki smiled his most charming smile. "How are you, Lex?" She didn't answer beyond a vague shrug. "Is Rona here?"

She shook her head. "She's out."

"When do you expect her back?" Another shrug. "Well, may I come in and wait?" She frowned, and Loki folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the wall. "Or I could just wait out here. I'm sure she'd be very pleased about that."

For a few moments they stared each other down. Then Lex sighed and stepped back, holding the door open wide enough for him to enter. She closed it behind him a little harder than necessary before striding past him into the living room. He followed as she dropped back onto the sofa, attention focused on the television. He sat on the other end of the couch, hands resting lightly on his knees. An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by the exaggerated sound effects coming from the television.

"So you have no idea when she's going to be home?"

Lex shook her head. "She could be gone all night." A pause and then, "I think she's out with a guy."

Loki's head swung toward her. An unusual heat traveled through his body. He had a sudden vision of Rona with some stranger, and he wanted to strangle him, tear him apart with his bare hands. 

"A _guy_?"

Lex nodded, her gaze never leaving the screen in front of her. "She said not to wait up."

He turned away, his anger slowly building. What kind of fool did Rona take him for? He didn't have to sit around with her inhospitable cousin, waiting for her to come waltzing in. He rose from the couch, not missing Lex's smirk as he strode toward the door. He pulled the knob sharply, swinging the door open and finding himself face to face with Rona. She had a look of surprise on her face, and she was blessedly alone. 

"I didn't expect to see you during club hours." She smiled, and Loki felt his anger dissipating.

"They can manage without me for a while ." 

"Have you been waiting long?" He shook his head, following her into the living room. Rona stopped, her head tilted as she regarded him, as if she could see his lingering agitation. She glanced at her cousin, Lex's disapproval practically radiating from the couch. Then she led him out onto the balcony at the back of the room, closing the French doors behind them. 

"I think it might actually be a little warmer out here."

Loki smiled thinly. "Your cousin doesn't seem to like me very much."

Rona leaned against the railing in front of him, her back to the lights of the city. "Well, which one of us did you come here to see?"

He tilted his head at her. "She seemed to be under the impression you were out on a date."

Her gaze drifted toward the living room behind him and then back. "Did she?" She sighed. "Lex is very...protective."

"Why is that?"

"I guess because she's basically all the family I've got. My mother died several years ago, I don't have any siblings. She's the closest thing I've got to a sister."

"And your father?"

Her hand came up to finger the shard around her neck in what seemed to be a common, unconscious gesture. "I haven't seen him in a very long time. He's somewhere in Europe, and that's all I really know."

Loki stepped forward. "So what you're saying is...you weren't on a date?"

Rona stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "No, I wasn't." She raised an eyebrow. "How worried about that were you?"

He frowned. "I never said I was worried." She obviously didn't believe him. He sighed. "More than I wanted to be."

She braced her hands on the railing behind her, leaning back so she could see his face clearly. "Really? Surely you don't feel like you have some sort of proprietary interest in me, considering we've known each other such a short time." Her face was serious, but a smile danced in her eyes.

Loki felt once again like she was playing with him, but instead of being irritated, he felt a delicious excitement building up inside him. He moved closer, sensing her breathing quicken. "What if I said that I do?"

Her eyes widened slightly as they moved across his face, the only shift in her cool composure. " _I_ would say that you've gotten attached very quickly."

"Hmm." He murmured noncommittally, distracted by the way her mouth moved when she talked, by his sudden desire to feel the warmth of her skin against his. He had moved closer almost without realizing it, and she didn't have to speak above a whisper for him to hear.

"And I would ask if you ever figured out what exactly you wanted from me."

His eyes flicked up to hers, impossibly large in the growing darkness around them. Last time she asked that question, he didn't have an answer. At this moment, it was absolutely clear.

"Yes, I have." He cupped her cheek with one hand, his long fingers disappearing into her hair. Once again he felt that triumphant thrill as he watched her eyes close a split second before his lips touched hers. They were both frozen for a moment, the kiss seeming to take both of them by surprise. But the warmth of her mouth melted any hesitation he had. It was like matches striking, and all at once he was on fire.

Her hands gripped his coat, pulling him closer as their lips began to move in rhythm. Both hands were cradling her head now, his thumbs sliding gently across her cheeks. The only sound he could hear was their ever-quickening breath as the kiss went deeper, faster. He caught himself just before a moan escaped his lips, and he pulled back, her eyes flying open in surprise. Still he held her, his fingers moving softly on the back of her neck.

"Well." Rona spoke first, pausing to catch her breath. "When you make a decision, you certainly don't mess around."

Loki chuckled. He was still breathing heavily, and yet he wanted to kiss her again. It was taking a great force of will, in fact, not to pull her against him and lose himself in her touch. He needed to recover his composure, to not let her see the effect she'd had on him. 

"I did have that debt to collect on."

Her eyebrow rose. "Are we all settled up, then?"

He glanced away, at the city lights sparkling for miles around them. Suddenly home seemed very far, very dull. And this girl in his arms undoubtedly the most extraordinary thing he'd seen since coming to Midgard.

"You loaned me a book, and I shared an enormous secret with you." He smiled. "I think it's going to be awhile until we're even." 


	5. Deceptions

Try as he might, Loki could not shake the memory of that kiss. Or the way she had teased him, as if daring him to make some sort of claim on her. Well, he had done that, hadn't he? Even now, nearly five days later, if he closed his eyes he could still feel her lips on his. Oh, he tried to play it calm and cool. But the truth was, she had completely bewitched him.

When he came to Midgard, he had never intended to become _attached_ to any mortals. They were such inferior creatures, so weak, their lives so transitory. Loki felt himself to be so far above them, it was like a child playing with dolls. They were _supposed_ to be playthings, nothing more. One of them was certainly _not_ supposed to complicate his life in such an unexpected fashion.

He needed to prove to himself that she was nothing special to him, nothing important. It had been a trick of the moonlight. So he decided he needed to see her again, in disguise, when she wasn't trying to captivate him. (Because she surely worked at it, didn't she? This obsession couldn't possibly be _natural_.) Thus he found himself on Thursday at the library, in the same form he had taken on his first visit, an elderly man who walked ploddingly and with a slight limp. This time his search for Rona ended quickly, she was seated at the checkout desk in the center of the second floor, being lectured by her firey-haired cousin.

"You don't really even know him, is what I'm saying."

"Of course I don't, Lex. That's usually how it works when you've never met someone before." Rona continued to stamp books from a towering stack beside her left arm, pointedly not looking at her cousin.

"No, you're not getting it." Lex leaned over the desk, her voice dropping lower. Loki had to move closer so that he could still hear what she said. He pretended to be deeply absorbed in a row of art books, occasionally glancing over at the two young women. "He comes out of nowhere, and suddenly he's running this super-hot club? I think he could be....you know." The words came out dripping with a menacing nuance. Rona glanced up at her blankly and Lex leaned even closer, her voice taking an ominous pitch. "Connected."

Rona laughed. "He's not in the Mafia, Lex. I know that much." She turned to place the books on a cart behind her, her gaze sliding across Loki without pausing.

"Well, they don't just announce it." Lex fingered the leaves of a small plant that sat in a faded red pot on the edge of the desk. "It's really dangerous to get mixed up with those kind of people, you know. Once you get in, they don't let you out."

Rona sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not..." She stopped halfway through turning back towards Lex, a frown crossing her lowered face. Then her head slowly came up and her eyes met his. Loki's breath caught in his chest. She couldn't possibly know it was him, and yet he felt completely exposed under her penetrating gaze.

"Ro?" Lex was frowning at her, glancing at Loki and seeing nothing more than an old man.

Rona's head snapped back to Lex. "Let's not talk about this in front of patrons." She came around from behind the desk, taking Lex's arm and leading her out of his sight. Loki hesitated, shaken by that intensely brief moment of eye contact. She couldn't have seen through his illusion, it was impossible. He turned, heading towards the other end of the aisle, hoping to avoid running into her by taking the opposite direction. 

Rona stood in the next aisle, smiling at him pleasantly. "Can I help you find something?"

"Ah..." His mind raced for anything that sounded appropriately elderly. "Perhaps a book on...gardening?"

She nodded. "It's over here." She led him to a shelf near the back. "Here you are, Mr..?"

"Miller. Thank you, young lady." He turned his attention to the shelves, pretending to be greatly absorbed in the volumes on pruning and soil composition, even though he could feel her eyes on him still.

"Are you done with this charade yet? Loki?"

He didn't look at her, although his heartbeat had quickened the moment she said his name. How did she know? "I'm not sure what you're talking about, dear."

She sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her cross her arms over her chest. "Mr. _Baranski_ is a regular. He comes here every Tuesday, never on Thursdays because that's the day he has physical therapy for the stroke he suffered eight months ago." He glanced at her. "And he knows more about gardening than all of these books _combined_."

Loki sighed, replacing the book he'd removed from the shelf. As he turned toward her, the old man illusion dissolved into his normal form. He bowed slightly. "Is this better?"

She shook her head. "Did you really disguise yourself so that you could spy on me? To follow..." She stopped, eyes widening. "That's how you found out where I live. You followed me home."

He shrugged, smirking slightly. "I am known as the God of Mischief for a reason."

She stared at him silently for a moment, her face contemplative. Finally she spoke, her head tilted to one side. "I understand why you followed me _then_. But why are you spying on me _now_?"

Loki hesitated. She probably thought he'd been desperate to see her again, to hear her voice. That her paltry mortal charms had worked on him. He couldn't allow himself to look so fragile. He smiled. "I think you've misunderstood my reasons for being here." She raised her eyebrows but didn't speak. "I'm not here for you. In fact, I took a disguise so that you wouldn't notice me." He clenched his jaw for a moment, struggling to find the proper level of indifference. "So I could browse in peace."

He expected disappointment or anger. Any sort of reaction would be preferable to the masklike stillness of her face. She stared at him and then slowly nodded. "I didn't realize you found my presence so intrusive. I apologize." 

Abruptly she turned and walked off, disappearing in the stacks. Loki frowned. After a moment he followed, coming around the corner to see her sitting at the desk, her back to him, once more stamping books. He deliberately slowed his pace as he walked past her, but she never looked in his direction.

***

Saturday, Loki still couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a terrible miscalculation. He had meant to prove that she held no power over him, that his attraction to her held no more substance than his illusions. He had failed miserably. Even now, more than a week after that night on the balcony, he could still feel her soft skin under his hands. But he had apparently succeeded in convincing _Rona_ that she was of little consequence to him. He didn't understand why that knowledge caused him such melancholy.

He also didn't understand the sudden rush of exhilaration that flooded his body when he saw her walk into the club, only to be quickly doused by the sight of the man whose arm she clung to. They took seats at the bar, and he watched Rona lean in to make herself heard over the pulsating beat of the music, her hair brushing the man's shoulder. Loki sucked a breath in through his nose, his lips pressed firmly together. This was completely unacceptable.

He spun around, grabbing the phone and placing a call to the bartender. Then he moved back to the window to see how she would respond to his message. The bartender leaned across the bar toward Rona, gesturing at the window behind her. She glanced at the man beside her, who shrugged, lifting his glass to his mouth. The lights glinted off his wavy blonde hair. Loki had the ridiculous desire to pluck every one of those hairs out of his head.

Now Rona was crossing the room, moving in the direction of the stairs to his office. Loki shut off the lights, stepping back into the shadows. In a moment he heard a soft knock on the door. 

"Come in." The door swung open and he could see Rona silhouetted in the light from the hallway. She hesitated on the threshold.

"Loki?" Her voice betrayed a slight confusion, as if she might be caught out speaking to an empty room.

"I said _come in_." He gave the words a hard edge, like silk-wrapped steel. After a pause Rona stepped into the room. Moving swiftly, staying in the shadows, Loki swooped around behind her and shut the door with a snap. He sensed her flinch and he smiled. He stepped closer, close enough that his breath stirred the hair against the back of her neck. "What exactly do you think you are doing?"

"You sent for me."

Now that she stood here, so close, he felt his anger slowly dissolving. He struggled to hold onto it. "I mean, _what_ are you doing with that man?"

She shrugged. "I'm on a date."

His anger returned in full force. He got the feeling she had deliberately emphasized the word date, drawing it out so he couldn't mistake her meaning. "And you brought him _here_?"

She turned her head, glancing over her shoulder. "Is there some reason why I shouldn't?"

Her question gave him pause. A reason? If he said no, she would go back to that wretch at the bar. If he said yes...Loki had the distinct feeling if he said that, there would be no turning back for _him_. He would be lost, prisoner to the power she held over him. Somehow that thought wasn't as repellant as he might have imagined, not when his fingers were itching to touch her again. 

"It displeases me."

Rona laughed softly. "Really? I'm just a momentary intrusion, isn't that right? Why do you care what I do, or who I do it with?"

Loki let out a breath through his clenched teeth. "I don't know." He couldn't help himself, he reached out, sliding his hand down her arm. He thought he felt her shiver beneath his touch.

"Then give me a reason not to leave this room right now."

His fingers closed around her wrist and he spun her around to face him. "If you think I'm going to say I came to this miserable rock for you, then you're mistaken." 

The lights from the dance floor below illuminated the room sporadically, barely reaching the spot where they stood, her face no more than shadows and flashing eyes. 

"But you're the reason I'm staying." He could just make out her smile, and he pulled her against him, earning a quickly muffled gasp. "Don't _ever_ bring another man to my club again."

"Then don't ever lie to me again." Her voice was steady, even though he could feel the accelerated pace of her breathing against his chest.

Loki smiled. "Well, now that we understand each other." His left hand fastened on her waist just an instant before his mouth found hers. There was none of the hesitation of the first kiss, no slow burn. Immediately it was a raging inferno that seemed to suck all the oxygen from the room. Rona's hands slid up his chest, her fingers disappearing into his dark hair. He pressed her back until her legs hit the desk, feeling her lips curve into a smile. She pulled away.

"What about my date?"

He reached for the phone without taking his eyes off her, pressing the button to connect with the bar downstairs and waiting impatiently for the bartender to answer. "You remember the young lady I asked you to send up? Tell the man she came in with that he might as well leave now. Because she won't be coming back down."


	6. Dazzled

Rona stood silently at the window and watched the young man leave. He seemed bewildered, questioning the bartender repeatedly, but eventually he stood and tossed a few bills on the counter. His body language clearly indicated unhappiness with the turn the evening had taken. Loki glanced at Rona, her face expressionless.

"Do you feel guilty?"

She smiled. "I probably should. I never intended to leave with him."

"What _did_ you intend to happen?"

"I _hoped_ ," she turned slightly to face him. "That you would react exactly the way you did." She shrugged. "If not, I suppose I'd have to find some kind of excuse."

Loki took a step toward her, trying to control the smile that threatened to break across his face. "How...manipulative. Is this normal behavior for you?"

She laughed softly, looking away with a slight shake of her head. "No, not really. I'm usually quite a straight-forward person, I'm not sure what's come over me." She glanced up at him without raising her head, her mouth curving gently at the corners. "But I'm thinking it might have something to do with you."

"Ah." He moved closer, trying to look serious, but failing to stop himself from reaching out for her, fingering the ends of her hair. "You're saying that I've had a bad influence on you."

She nodded slowly. "Do _you_ feel guilty?"

He smiled, letting his fingers slip from her hair to slide across the skin of her collarbone, enjoying the sound of her sharply drawn-in breath as his thumb found the hollow at the base of her throat. He leaned in toward her, his voice whispering against her lowered head. 

"Not at all."

Her head came up slowly, their faces inches apart. Looking into her eyes made him lose focus, question everything he knew about himself. He wanted to understand this effect she had on him, but where would he start? Surely it wasn't normal to be having these feelings for a Midgardian. How would his family react, if they knew? They would think him mad. Would he be able to explain that she was different somehow from the rest of the mortals? He couldn't even explain that to himself. 

"I guess there's no hope for either of us then." She smiled. Apparently that thought didn't concern her. Loki found that he really wasn't concerned about it either. The only thing that interested him now was the fact that it had been at least ten minutes since he'd last kissed her.

His arm slid around her back, eyes lingering on hers as he slowly closed the space between them. "No, we are both most certainly doomed."

When she finally broke away from him, breathing audibly, Loki felt the sharp twist of disappointment in his chest. He had to work to make his voice sound light and casual.

"Leaving already?"

"I told Lex I'd be back in time for dinner." She tucked the hem of her shirt back into the waistband of her skirt as she turned away, and he felt the urge to reach out and stop her. To pull her back and dismantle the clothes she so carefully arranged.

"I thought you came here for a date." He folded his arms across his chest, smirking a little.

Rona chuckled. "Yes, but making out in your office wouldn't exactly qualify."

"No? What does an actual date require then?" His voice was teasing, a distraction as he moved slowly across the room toward her. If he could just get within arm's length of her, maybe he could convince her not to leave.

She wasn't falling for it. Every step he took forward, she took two closer to the door. "You know the other night, when we had Chinese food? That was a date."

He tilted his head. "So dinner and trickery?"

She smiled, one hand on the doorknob. "You're so fond of calling yourself the God of Mischief. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

***

In his free time, while he waited to see her again, he wondered if what she had said was really true. Did he have an influence on her equal to the one she exerted on him? The idea gave him some comfort. Even if he wasn't entirely sure he believed it. Did she see his face in her dreams? Did she physically crave his touch? He considered the possibility more than he probably should. He was still considering it when she called to ask if he was ready to go on a real date.

They went to an Italian restaurant within walking distance of his club. Rona explained that since he was "not from around here", she would take the lead in date planning. 

"No Chinese tonight?"

Rona smiled back at him over her shoulder. "Lex thinks you're a "made" man. I figured if we ate at an Italian place, she'd be even more convinced."

Loki chuckled. "Your impishness knows no bounds."

She shrugged as she took the seat he held out for her. "Would you rather I tell her who you really are?" She smiled. "Not that she'd ever believe it."

He waited until the waiter had filled their water glasses and left with their orders before he spoke. "Why did you believe it so quickly?"

She fiddled with the silverware in front of her without looking up. "I just think the world is more interesting when you're willing to have an open mind. Take a shot on a possibility." She glanced up at him. "Besides, you turned a fountain into shooting stars. You obviously weren't an ordinary man."

He smiled. "So you decided to take a shot?"

"Well, maybe I was bored, too." They fell silent, eyes locked, their impromptu stare down interrupted by the waiter's arrival with their plates. Loki watched Rona twirl her fork against her spoon, the noodles wrapping themselves around the tines and forming a manageable bite. When he looked up, Rona was watching him. "So, this place you're from. What's it like?"

"It's very...different." She made a face which clearly said that wasn't his most brilliant observation. "It's...lustrous. Everything shines, everything dazzles. It's a golden world." He felt like he wasn't describing things as well as he should. She watched him so intently, it made the words tangle in his mouth. "And the people look much like the people here. Only we live much longer, we're more powerful, more resilient."

"Better?" She asked the question with little inflection, resting her chin on the back of her hand. Loki hesitated. "That's what you're saying, right?"

"Well...yes." He waited to see if he'd offended her. Rona merely turned her attention back to her food.

"So, since your people live so long, exactly how old are you?"

He smiled. "Much too old for you."

She glanced up, the glint in her eyes sending a delightful tremor through him. "I have nothing against older men. What about your family?"

His smile faded. "My parents are the king and queen of Asgard, my brother is the crown prince. What more is there to say?"

She paused, his obvious resentment seeming to startle her. "Do they know you're here?" He nodded. "How do they feel about it?"

"My father is the one who sent me, probably just to keep me out of his way. My mother...she understands the desire to experience something new."

"And your brother?"

He sighed. "I really have no idea what my brother thinks. He probably thinks I'm insane." He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "You see, in my world, strength and bravery, those are the things that people admire. The qualities they prize. Not artfulness." He shook his head. "Not parlor tricks."

"I'm assuming your brother has the strength and the bravery." He nodded. "Sometimes displayed as cruelty and recklessness?" She smiled at the expression of surprise on his face. "I've known lots of men like that, they are literally everywhere." She leaned closer, her fingers brushing his. He felt the contact like an electric current, flowing through his veins and igniting his blood. How could she still focus on speaking? "I've never known a man like you."

He stilled for a moment, only his fingers moving, brushing softly over the back of her hand. He smiled when he saw a flush spread across her cheeks. "Such a short time, and you already think you know me."

She shook her head slowly. "But I'm really looking forward to getting there."

He stifled a chuckle. "You say that now.."

Rona laughed. "You might regret coming to know me more. Now finish your spaghetti, so we can get to the rest of this date."

Loki was dubious, considering the turn the last date had taken. He wondered what else she had up her sleeve. They took a taxi across the East River, to a place she called Roosevelt Island. Then she led him to a park lit sporadically by street lamps and virtually deserted. They came to a stop at the base of a gray stone tower that stretched at least forty feet into the sky. Rona turned to him, her voice hushed regardless of the privacy.

"This is the Blackwell Lighthouse. It's closed to the public." She reached into a pocket and then opened her hand to reveal a remarkably modern-looking key. "But I know the caretaker."

He smiled. "Are you sure you're not the one who's ' _connected_ '?"

Rona grinned and didn't answer. She placed the key in the lock on the tall green-painted door. It came open with a squeal that sounded horribly loud in the quiet darkness around them. She laid a finger over her mouth as if _he_ had been the one to break the silence. Then they were inside, the shadows wrapping around them as the door swung shut.

"Rona?" His voice echoed briefly in the small hollow space. "I can't see a thing."

She chuckled, and then a small circle of light appeared on the floor by his feet. "I came prepared." She looked ghostly in the dim light from the flashlight in her hand. She tipped her head to the side. "The stairs are this way."

He stayed close behind her as they climbed the steps and when they reached the top, he found himself in a glass-walled room, the enormous lamp in the center standing lifeless. She led him toward the glass, unlatching the pane and then pausing with her palm flat against it, as if she had forgotten something. She raised the flashlight, holding it under her chin so the beam cast ominous shadows across her face. 

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?"

"I am not afraid of anything," he scoffed.

She leaned in, shifting the light to his chin. "Well, that's promising." She turned back to the window, swinging it open and taking his hand as she stepped through.

They were on a balcony at the peak of the tower, the lights of the city surrounding them. Loki moved toward the black iron railing, Rona following. 

"See, my city is dazzling, too."

He smiled, leaning an arm on the top of the railing as he turned toward her and reaching out to smooth back the hair that the gentle river breeze blew across her face. She caught his hand as it traveled down her cheek, her warm fingers wrapping around his like the first time they'd met. 

"Loki. I brought you up here to look at the view."

He dipped his head toward her. "It's not the view that dazzles me." She raised her eyebrows, surprise and pleasure mingling in her eyes. It surprised him as well, the ease with which she awakened these feelings inside him. Vulnerability. Need. He'd been hesitant to explore them before, but now he didn't intend on backing down from the challenge.

"You certainly have a way with words." 

He smiled. "It's one of my most charming qualities."

"The God of Smooth Talking, too, hmm?" Loki laughed. Rona turned back to the railing, dropping his hand. "This is one of my favorite places in the city, you know. It's like I'm in the middle, but...at a distance, too." She shrugged. "That's the way I feel most of the time."

Loki hesitated, and then slipped his arm around her waist, gripping the railing beside her. "Rona." She turned her head toward him slightly as he paused, savoring the taste of her name. "What you said earlier? I've never known anyone like you, either." He smiled softly. "Not in all nine realms."

She gazed at him silently for a moment, eyes catching the moonlight. "Well, I guess we're more alike than we thought."


	7. Brought to Life

Not that different. That phrase kept playing through Loki's mind long after he'd left Rona at her apartment and made the short walk back to his club. A ridiculous notion on the face of it. Of course they were different, they were from completely separate worlds, after all. But beneath all that, was it possible that they were more similar than he thought? She had proven to be exceptionally perceptive, seeing through his disguises with an ease that frankly astounded him. He'd never experienced a connection like this with anyone before. He found it completely ludicrous that he was so drawn to a mortal, so consumed with thoughts of her that he could barely sleep. He should have left Midgard weeks ago, before he'd met her. Because the thought of going now, of leaving her, absolutely sickened him.

"You want me to do what?"

Rona chuckled on the other end of the phone. "I'm inviting you over to have dinner with me and Lex. Tonight."

"I thought she didn't like me. Why would she want to have dinner with me?"

"Because she's my cousin and she _does_ like _me_. So she has to be nice to the people _I_ like." Rona waited for him to respond, but he'd become tongue-tied by her breezy admission that she liked him. "So will you come?"

Loki sighed. He didn't want her to think he was eager to be with her, so desperate that he would agree to anything. Unfortunately, it was quickly becoming a fact. "Yes. I'll come."

Rona greeted him at the door, her hair twisted up into a loose knot on the back of her head, a stripe of something white across one cheek. She smiled. "How punctual. Did you wait in the hallway until exactly seven?" She stepped back to let him in and then leaned in, lowering her voice. "Lex still thinks you're with the Mob, so if you want to play that up..."

He smiled. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about this 'mob' that you speak of." He reached down, his thumb gently swiping the white powder off her cheek. She looked startled, her eyes wide, until she saw the powder on his hand.

"Oh, I made cookies." She brushed her palm across her cheeks, inspecting them for any more traces. "I'm surprised I don't have flour all over me."

He shook his head. "You look good." She glanced up at him, one eyebrow raised, and he felt his face growing warm. "I mean, there's no more flour on you."

She turned, hiding her smile. "Thank you. Go ahead and sit down, everything's here." She picked up a handful of takeout cartons from the counter and carried them over to the table.

Lex appeared in the living room doorway, barefooted, her unruly hair pinned back on one side. She nodded at Loki as she sat at the table but didn't speak. She began spooning Chinese food out onto her plate.

Rona took the chair beside Loki, handing him a carton from the center of the table. "We might not be much for cooking, but we can certainly order take-out with the best of them." She smiled. Loki thought she looked slightly uncomfortable, maybe a little nervous. His eyes landed on the wine bottle in the middle of the table and he reached for it, filling first Rona's glass and then Lex's and finally his own. Rona smiled again and took a sip before clearing her throat. Across the table, Lex sighed and looked up from her plate.

"So...Loki...how are you liking New York?" Her voice came out in a strange sort of tone, as if she felt extremely put out at having to have a conversation with him. He glanced at Rona, her lips pursed, her forehead wrinkling into a frown. She wanted the two of them to get along, he could see that it distressed her that they didn't.

He turned to Lex with a smile. "It's growing on me. It's very different than where I'm from."

"Oh yeah? Where is that?"

He hesitated, glancing at Rona. "Um...up north?"

Lex frowned. "Like where, Canada?" She jerked a little in her seat, her face scrunching up. "Never mind." She glared at Rona before looking back at him. "So, what did you do there?"

"I was, uh, in the family business." He heard Rona chuckle beside him.

Lex's eyes widened. "What...what business is that?"

He glanced at Rona, her smile genuine now, her eyes sparkling. He wasn't sure what kind of game they were playing, but she seemed to be enjoying it. "It's probably better if I don't say."

Lex stared at him, her mouth open. She glanced at her cousin, but Rona had turned her focus to her plate, chopsticks moving with precision. "Yeah, of course. Um, would you like more wine? Another egg roll?"

For the rest of the meal, Lex behaved perfectly, every word she said dripping with sweetness. She kept glancing at Loki with a mixture of awe and panic. As soon as they finished eating she retreated to her room, leaving them alone in the kitchen. Rona chuckled as she began to clear the table.

"I don't think she's going to be anything but nice to you from now on. She's paranoid when it comes to gangsters, terrified she's going to get on their bad side." She set the dirty plates in the sink, running water over them.

"So I have to pretend to be some kind of dangerous criminal to get your cousin to be civil to me?" She shrugged. Loki smiled. "I think I'm going to like her."

Rona laughed as she dried her hands on a towel before turning toward him. "Stop, you're going to make me jealous." Her smile faded as she caught his gaze.

He moved toward her, his eyes skipping over her face, lingering on her lips. "Why would you be jealous?" He rested his hand on the counter beside her, raising an eyebrow. "Because you _like_ me?"

She squinted at him a little and then shook her head with a quiet laugh. She turned and picked up a plate of cookies that sat beside the stove. "Come on." She led him out of the kitchen, not slowing as they crossed the living room. He hesitated when she kicked open the door of her bedroom and placed the cookies on a small table by her bed. She turned to see him still standing in the doorway. 

"I thought you weren't afraid of anything?"

She was teasing him now. He stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him without taking his eyes off her. She grinned and dropped onto the bed, leaning over to pluck a cookie off the plate. Loki glanced around the room, Rona's private refuge, her personal world all around him. He began to meander around the room, hands clasped behind him. A bookshelf lined one wall, floor to ceiling, the shelves stuffed with books and photos. His gaze traveled across the titles and snapshots of Rona with Lex and various strangers, landing finally on a picture of Rona and a woman who looked remarkably similar. He picked up the photo, turning back toward the bed.

"Is this your mother?" Rona nodded. "She was very pretty."

She smiled. "Thanks. That was just a couple of years before she died."

"What happened?"

"Cancer." His confusion must have shown on his face, for she frowned. "I guess you don't have that where you're from. It's a disease."

"Your healers didn't cure her?"

She shook her head. "There's no cure. There's treatments, but...they can't really fix it."

"Do a lot of people get this disease?" Rona nodded. "But is there no way to avoid it? To protect yourselves?" She frowned at him again, perplexed by his agitation. He turned away, replacing the photo on the shelf. He was suddenly reminded of just how weak these mortals were, how fragile and fraught with pain their lives. And Rona was one of them. He crossed to the window, resting his hands on the sill. "How do you live this way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Knowing your death could come at any time, by any means. That each breath could be your last." He heard the quiet squeak of the bedsprings as she rose and crossed the room to stand beside him.

"We learn to make each breath count." When he turned to look at her she smiled. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Many people live long and happy lives."

"Rona, a long time to you is like a moment to me. Asgardian's live for thousands of years. Do you have any idea how many generations that is for mortals?"

She looked away, shrugging slightly. "Math has never been my thing."

He touched her chin, turning her head gently back toward him. "It's a lot. We live longer than you, we're stronger, we heal faster. Can you really say we're not that different?"

She was silent for a moment, her eyes searching his face. "But those are not the things that really matter. Living for centuries is pointless without love and connection and experiencing things. And power, strength? It's an illusion. My mother was the strongest, toughest person that I have ever known. And all you can see her as is weak." She turned away, but not before he saw the tears glittering in her eyes. "So maybe you're right. Maybe we are different."

Loki felt an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, and it took a moment before he identified it. He had hurt her with his words. And it pained him to know that. "Rona..." He raised a hand, reaching for her arm, but she shook her head, swiping at her eyes.

"I know that we come from completely separate worlds. But if you deny that there's something between us, some connection..." She shook her head again. "You're only fooling yourself."

She turned as if to walk away, but he stopped her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him. "Rona." He smiled down at her startled face. "If you'd let me finish...I meant to say that maybe...I was wrong."

She blinked, her mouth opening and closing again before she finally decided how to respond. "Oh. Then just...I suppose you should forget all that other stuff I said."

He slid his arms around her, leaning in, his voice teasing. "You mean when you said we have a connection and then called me a fool?" She nodded. "Well, see there, _you_ were wrong." Her eyes were wide still, although his lips were inches from hers. 

He smiled. "I am no fool." 


	8. Safe

The conversation with Rona haunted him. Before he met her, the thought of mortals dying had little effect on him. It just happened, a fact of their lives as inferior beings. But when he imagined Rona, lifeless in his arms, those radiant eyes dimming and fading away, he felt cold panic creep across his chest. He had only just found her and he could not put words to what he felt for her, but he knew that watching her die, losing her...that would change him irrevocably.

That thought moved him to invite her to the club on an autumn afternoon, before the employees came in to work. When she arrived Loki was standing in the middle of the dance floor, in his shirtsleeves, and she stopped for a moment, looking at him with suspicion.

"What are we doing?"

"You need to learn how to protect yourself. You may not be able to avoid these Midgardian diseases, but you can defend yourself against other threats." He came toward her, sliding her coat off her shoulders, her hair cool as it brushed against his hands.

"And how am I going to do that?"

He smiled, laying her coat on a barstool before picking up the daggers he had earlier placed on the bar. He held them out to her, the gold insets on the handles glinting in the light. "I am going to teach you to fight."

She didn't move, her eyes clearly saying he might be a little mad. "Won't that be...dangerous?"

He flipped the knives around, holding them by the blades. "These are blunted. They can still cut you, but they won't wound you seriously." He handed her one, and started to circle around behind her as he continued speaking. "My brother believes that to win a fight, you must be stronger than your opponent." He stopped in front of her. "He is wrong." He held out a hand, gesturing slightly with his fingers. Rona hesitated and then stepped forward, her knife slashing through the air, his illusion dissolving as the blade sliced through it. "You must be smarter." Rona turned to find him still behind her, smiling. "Now. Shall we begin?"

She shrugged, her fingers playing lightly with the edge of the blade. "I've never imagined myself as the sort of person who participates in knife fights."

Loki stepped forward, his voice low, eyes locked on hers. "Think of your mother. If her disease had been tangible enough to battle against, don't you think she would have done it?"

Her eyes glittered, and she pressed her lips together until the edges were white. Then she came at him, her first moves clumsy and haphazard. He blocked them easily, sidestepping, his knife occasionally tapping her arm. But the speed with which she learned surprised him, her focus extraordinary as she watched him counter her blows and adjusted her strikes accordingly. He had expected her to be milder, to hold back; but as in everything else, she challenged him now, forcing him to press back harder. The harsh sounds of their breathing and the clang of metal against metal echoed in the silent room. Then there was a sharp gasp and Rona fell back, her eyes dropping to the shallow wound on her arm. Loki held his breath, waiting for her to call an end to their sparring. But then her gaze met his and she smiled.

Her next move came shockingly fast, a twisting, spinning blur that had him falling back, his dagger dropping to the floor. He came to an abrupt halt as he felt the cool steel of her blade against his neck. He chuckled. 

"Very good." His eyes slid sideways, down her outstretched arm, catching the small smile that played across her mouth, waiting for the exact moment when she relaxed her guard. Then his fingers closed around her wrist, forcing her arm down and away from him. She tried to pull away, but he spun her, as if they were dancing, catching her other arm and pinning her against him. He smiled as he easily removed the knife from her hand. " _Almost_ good enough."

He could feel her heart beating against his chest, fast and wild. His own pulse picked up as he held her, listened to her heavy breathing. He dipped his head to kiss her neck. 

"Loki. Why are you doing this?"

He frowned. "What?"

"Why do you want to teach me to fight?" She turned her head toward him, her face so close he could see tiny flecks of gold in her eyes. "Why does it matter to you?"

The thought of her broken and bloody floated through his mind again. He shook his head, his hands tightening on her arms. "Does it not bother you? Your own mortality?"

She looked away, smiling softly. "There are so many things in this world that I want to see, to experience. The pyramids in Egypt, the Mayan ruins. The Northern Lights. And if I died without doing any of that, then yes, it would be disappointing." Her eyes met his again, holding his gaze with an unblinking intensity that made him catch his breath. "But if I died tomorrow, I would know that I have loved a lifetime's worth." She smiled. "And I would be satisfied with that."

His pulse accelerated even more, pounding in his throat and making it hard to breathe. "Rona, don't..."

"I've never met a man like you, anyone like you. And yet somehow I feel as if I've always known you." He pulled away, shaking his head, but she kept talking, her words coming out in a rush. "Have you ever heard Plato's story of soulmates?"

He glanced back at her. "No."

"The story said that humans were made with four arms, four legs, two faces. They were strong, strong enough that they could have conquered the gods. So Zeus split them in half, and they were forced to wander the world for the rest of their lives, searching for the other part of themselves." She stopped, waiting for him to say something, but he only frowned. "And if they find each other, then they're whole. They're stronger together than either one of them alone."

"And you think that's us?" He laughed, the sound echoing in the empty room like the crack of a whip. "Rona, that's impossible. We are _not_ the same, we can't be two halves of anything!"

"I'm not saying I believe the story. But do I think that there is one person out there for everyone that is better for them than anyone else, that makes _them_ better?" She took a deep breath. "Yes, I do." She shook her head, turning away and plucking her coat from the barstool. "But you believe what you want. You tell yourself that you're teaching me to fight because you have nothing better to do."

Loki sighed, watching her walk away from him. He knew without question that what she said, this notion of soulmates, was ridiculous. But he couldn't explain the way she seemed to read his mind, the feelings that flooded him when he was around her. And when he wasn't. He shook his head. They were both ridiculous.

"Rona." She turned, halfway to the door, and he only hesitated an instant before crossing the room toward her. "I don't know what I believe." He slid his hand through her hair, fingers cupping the back of her head. "And I only have one explanation for why I called you here. I want you safe." He leaned in, making sure that he had her full attention, that she understood his meaning completely. "As long as I'm alive, I want to keep you safe."


	9. Falling God

Loki tried to convince Rona to stay, but only succeeded in extracting a promise that she would return as soon as possible the next day. He missed her the moment she walked out the door. What had happened to him? He'd become so soft, so...dependent. He thought that the longer he went without seeing her, the easier it would be. But it was exactly the opposite. Every minute he spent with her made him want a hundred more. 

Fortunately, Rona did return the next evening, two boxes in her arms and a fragrant smell swirling around her. 

"Dinner has arrived." A cold wind followed her into the empty club. It was Sunday, the one day of the week when they were closed, and Loki and Rona had the whole place to themselves. She placed the boxes she carried on the bar, and then began to remove her coat and scarf.

Loki came forward to kiss her, a slow, lingering kiss that he was reluctant to pull away from. When he did, it was with a smile and a sigh.

"And what local delicacies have you brought tonight?"

She flipped open the large flat box, releasing a delicious smell. "New York pizza." She tapped the smaller pink box. "And New York cheesecake for dessert." She moved around behind the bar, grabbing two glasses and filling them with beer from the tap. "I can't believe you've been here for months and you've never had either one. If you hadn't met me, you would have missed out on so much."

She spoke with a teasing tone, but the truthfulness of her words halted him. There was more than just her ceaseless mission to show him the wonders of her world that he would have missed if they'd never met. She challenged him, tantalized him, inspired him. The spark of emotion that had lodged itself in his chest from the first time he spoke to her flamed brighter every day, and he feared it would soon consume him entirely. Feared....and desired it.

"Unquestionably."

The single word came out with a rasp, and he accepted a glass of beer to dampen his parched tongue. Rona watched him with a puzzled, curious expression. He turned away from her, carrying the pizza box to a table at the edge of the empty dance floor, hoping this time his thoughts weren't so transparent to her as they always seemed to be. In a moment she'd joined him, not hesitating to take the first slice of pizza and lift it to her mouth. He watched the cheese hanging in thin strands from the crust as she took a bite. Her tongue flicked out to lick the sauce off the corner of her lips.

"Are you going to eat, or are you just going to watch me?"

He smiled, and lifted a slice out of the box, taking an experimental bite. It was gooey and slightly spicy. He took another bite, Rona watching expectantly.

"It's very good."

She smiled. "We take our pizza very seriously."

She resumed eating, and for a time Loki could only watch her, his thoughts in chaos. He wanted to tell her everything about his realm, about himself, and at the same time he wanted to know every secret she held inside her, to explore the deepest crevices of her soul. He wanted to drink her in until he drowned.

"What's wrong?"

Loki blinked, shaking his head to clear his mind. "I just..." He grasped at a thought, a question to divert her focus from him. He could _not_ tell her what actually consumed his mind. How much of her he craved.

"Why haven't you seen your father in so long?"

She sat back, her fingers straying to the shard around her neck, just as he'd expected. "My parents split when I was small. Mom and I moved here, my dad stayed behind." She shrugged. "I guess he just never cared to visit."

"Not even when your mother died?"

She shook her head. "I barely remember him now. Or hardly anything about life before we moved."

Loki reached for another slice of pizza. "And where did you move _from_?"

"Salerno, Italy. My mother's family has a rather large olive grove, and at the time she met my father she was living there with her grandparents." She smiled wistfully. "She always said he came through her life like a whirlwind."

Their eyes met and Loki felt an electrifying shiver run through him. He knew _exactly_ what her mother meant. "What do you remember? About your father."

She thought for a moment, her gaze growing distant. "He had traveled a lot. He loved history and literature." She smiled. "The last time I saw him I was five. We went for a walk through the olive groves. And he told me that sometimes loving someone means letting them go. That someday I'd understand."

Her eyes dropped to the table, to her hands busily occupied with tearing a napkin into shreds. "So far, I haven't."

Loki leaned toward her across the table, one finger tilting her chin up. "Then maybe he was wrong."

She blinked at him doubtfully. "Which part do you disagree with?"

His thumb traced the side of her jaw. "Well, I have learned not to underestimate such an unbelievably surprising woman as you. So I do not question your ability to understand." He leaned even closer, his fingers sliding to grasp the back of her neck. "But if I...loved someone," he paused, heart beating so hard he could barely breathe. "I cannot imagine ever letting them go."

Her eyes searched his face and he wondered what she saw there, if it would be enough to make her close the miniscule distance between them and kiss him. When she pulled away his heart fell. Somehow, he felt he'd disappointed her.

"I think it's time for dessert."

She rose to get the box of cheesecake off the bar and Loki started to follow, striving to inject a lightness in his voice that he didn't feel. "Should I get some plates?"

She set the box down in the middle of the table, shaking her head. "You don't need plates to have cheesecake." She rattled the silverware in her hand. "All you need are forks."

He took the fork that she held out toward him, but made no move to use it. Rona sat back in her seat, head slightly tilted, and he realized that this time it was his turn to take the first bite. He eyed the cheesecake, its smooth, cream-colored top marred by cracks. It certainly didn't look like anything special. But, he thought, glancing up at Rona, appearances could obviously be deceiving. He reached forward, the fork sliding easily through the edge of the cake, and lifted up a small bite. Rona watched as he placed it in his mouth, his eyes widening as the sweetness hit his tongue.

"Well?"

"It is...delectable." He took another bite, larger this time.

Rona chuckled. "I had you pegged for a sweet tooth."

"Here, you have to have some." He dipped his fork in again, bringing up the largest bite so far and holding it up in front of her. She hesitated and then leaned forward, lips closing around the fork. The bite was a little too large, bits of the crust clung to the edges of her mouth, and she wiped them away with a napkin.

"Mmm, very good."

He attacked the cheesecake again, shaking his head. "You mortals are masters of understatement."

"Possibly." She watched him eat for a moment. "I will be very shocked though if you manage to eat that entire cheesecake without making yourself sick."

He stopped, looking up at her with a skeptical expression. "You're forgetting that I am stronger than everyone you know."

She leaned forward, folding her arms on top of the table. "I think we have different definitions of strength. And I have yet to see your _true_ power demonstrated."

He sat back, frowning at her, the cheesecake forgotten for the moment. "Are you suggesting some sort of test?"

"You're always so quick to try and prove yourself, aren't you?" She smiled, propping her chin up on one hand. "The real test comes when you don't expect it. When you have to make tough decisions, decisions that affect people you care about. Or people you don't even know. That's when you'll show who you truly are."

He was silent, staring at her, astonished once again by her calm self-assurance. Her uncompromising view of the world. Whatever tests she faced, he was sure she would pass them brilliantly. He was less convinced about himself.

"And perhaps who I truly am will turn out to be someone you do not care to know."

"Maybe you don't have enough faith in yourself." She bit her lip, head tilted in speculation. "So I suppose that will have to be _my_ job."

His mouth opened in surprise, but she'd already turned away, rising to collect her things. He watched her slip into her coat, wondering why he could never seem to make her _stay_.

"It's getting late, you know how Lex worries."

"Perhaps she doesn't realize how capable you are."

Rona paused in the process of wrapping her scarf around her neck. She glanced at him. "Still, it might be best if you see me out. Make sure no one's lurking outside the door to snatch me."

He smiled and crossed the room, his voice lowered as he bent over her. "It would be the last thing they ever did."


	10. Bound Together

It felt as if he'd awoken from a long, tedious dream. Life in Asgard had constantly been overshadowed by the knowledge that his brother would always come first, always take the best and leave the scraps for Loki. But he couldn't imagine finding anything better than Rona in all the realms. And she was _his_. He felt that with her faith in him he could do anything, he could be just as worthy as everyone saw Thor to be...

The phone on his desk rang, snapping him out of his fantasy. He answered it, only half listening to the bartender's voice on the other end.

"Hey boss, there's a kinda...strange blonde guy down here looking for you."

"Hmm." Loki frowned as the words sank in. "What do you mean by strange?"

"Well..." He could hear chuckling in the background. "He kinda looks like a Viking. But without the funny hat."

Loki sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth and glanced at the clock. For the first time in weeks, he hoped that Rona would _not_ show up. At least not until he got rid of the unexpected visitor.

"Send him up."

He rose from his chair and began to pace the room, hands clasped behind his back. In a few moments the door swung open, bouncing against the wall, the doorknob leaving a shallow dent in the plaster.

"Brother!" The heavily-muscled man in Asgardian clothing strode into the room, grabbing Loki by the shoulders. "It has been too long!"

Loki smiled tightly. "Only a few months. Did you come to stay? Because if you did, we'll have to do something about those clothes. You'll stand out too much like that."

Thor laughed heartily. "No, I came to bring you home."

Loki took a step back, his eyes widening, panic bursting in his chest. "What?"

"Father wishes you to return home. Immediately, he said."

Loki shook his head. "I can't. Not now. I have....I am...busy."

Thor frowned, stepping toward the window and looking down at the empty dance floor. "I see nothing worth staying for." He waved a hand at the club below them. "You would risk Father's wrath for this?"

Loki glanced down at his employees busily working. As he watched, Rona came in, stopping to speak to the bartender before heading toward the stairs. His panic rising, Loki turned back to his brother.

"There are some things I need to take care of before I return home. Tell Father I will be there as soon as possible."

"What sort of things?"

He sighed. "I cannot just disappear without making arrangements." He could hear soft footsteps on the stairs and he cursed under his breath as he turned toward the door.

Rona halted in the doorway, a look of surprise and curiosity on her face. "Oh. I didn't expect you to have company."

Thor regarded them both before turning to Loki with a grin. "So you _have_ been busy, brother."

"Brother?" Rona stepped into the room, frowning. Loki gritted his teeth.

"Yes, this is my brother, Thor." He waved a hand towards her, hoping he could avoid attempting to explain their relationship. "This is Rona. Thor came on family business. But he is _leaving_ now."

Thor chuckled. "Remember, do not keep Father waiting." He headed for the door, pausing when he reached Rona and bowing slightly. "Lady Rona."

Loki rolled his eyes and huffed under his breath. Rona still stood in the doorway, smiling at him. "I assume you didn't plan on me meeting your brother today."

He returned the smile briefly, distracted by the conversation he did not want to have with her. "I would have preferred to warn you."

"He seemed perfectly nice."

"Um-hm. That's what they all think."

She chuckled, moving toward him, her eyes searching his face. He wondered if she could see his worry, his distress at the thought of leaving her. She frowned a little. "Family business?"

He nodded, forcing out the loathsome words. "My Father wishes me to return home."

Her expression shifted, a blankness spreading over her features. "Oh." She nodded slowly. "Well, it had to happen sometime, right?"

He took a step back, startled and dismayed by her words. "That is all you have to say?"

"I never expected you to stay indefinitely, Loki. You have a home, and a family, and I knew it would just be a matter of time before you had to go back."

He swallowed against the bitterness that rose in his throat. He had imagined she would feel something of what he felt, hoped she would ask him not to go. But she remained so infuriatingly calm. Clearly she didn't suffer from the same overwhelming longing that he did. Perhaps she felt _nothing_ for him after all.

"So it doesn't bother you at all that I'm leaving?"

She began shaking her head before he even finished speaking. "How can you ask that? Do you really think it's so easy for me to let you go? I've feared this moment since the day I learned who you really are. But I can't ask you to turn your back on your family and stay with me." Her voice broke. "Even if I want to."

Relief mingled with the aching inside him. A thought rose, desperate and hopeful. He stepped forward, close enough to see her eyes glittering with unshed tears, and grasped her arms. 

"Come with me."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"Come to Asgard, and then all of this won't matter. We can be together, I will show you things you've never even dreamed of..."

She shook her head. "Loki, I can't, I don't belong there."

His hands tightened on her arms, and he barely restrained himself from shaking her in frustration. "You belong with me!"

She looked away, and when her eyes met his again, he could see all his pleas were useless. He would never convince her. 

"I can only imagine the conflict my unexpected arrival would cause. That isn't the first impression I want to make on your family."

"I will make them understand." He pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers. " _Please_ , Rona." Tears were running freely down her face now and she merely shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed. Loki lifted his head with a sigh of resignation. "Then tell me what you would have me do."

She smiled. "Come back. If it's at all possible, just come back to me."

He raised a hand to her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb. "I am bound to you, Rona. For reasons I do not completely understand. And you are bound to me." 

She nodded as if answering his unspoken question and the knot in his chest eased a little. "I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to return." 

He crushed her against him, kissing her fiercely and fervently hoping it would not be the last time.


	11. Going Home

It had been so long since Loki traveled on the Bifrost that he had forgotten the adrenaline rush that coursed through your body. The sensation of hurtling swiftly and weightlessly through space. He imagined Rona beside him, the wonder that would spread over her face. When he came out on the other side of the gate, Heimdall watched him with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Welcome home."

Loki paused, wondering how much exactly Heimdall had seen of what happened on Midgard between him and Rona. He nodded without responding and headed off down the Rainbow Bridge. It did feel good to be breathing the clean air of his home realm, unpolluted by the chemicals that Midgardians so blithely pumped into their atmosphere. He only wished Rona could experience it with him.

He had barely left and already he missed her, the feeling so strong his chest ached from it. She seemed to live in his mind now, infiltrating every thought. Somehow he had to convince his father to let Rona join him in Asgard. And then...then he would show her all the wonders that his realm held

He found Odin waiting for him in his chambers. Loki came to an abrupt halt when he walked in, subconsciously straightening his posture. His father gestured for him to shut the door.

"Father. You wished to see me?"

Odin began to pace the room. "There are stirrings throughout the realms. Our enemies are plotting against us. I need you here."

"But, Father, I hoped to return to Midgard..."

Odin cut him off, shaking his head firmly. "We must be united in defense of our kingdom. It is too dangerous for you to leave this realm."

Loki felt a growing dread, the sense of Rona slipping away from him. "But I have...unfinished business."

Odin studied him with his one good eye. "Is this 'business' the reason you did not return with your brother?"

Loki hesitated. He had been sure Thor would have told their father about Rona, about his younger brother's foolish involvement with a mortal. "There's a woman."

"A Midgardian?"

Loki nodded. "I would like to bring her here..."

"Impossible."

"But Father.."

"No, you cannot indulge in these childish diversions while the safety of our realm is so precarious. Forget this foolishness. Forget about Midgard. And the woman." Odin strode from the room without waiting for a reply.

His words left Loki breathless, as if they'd wrapped around his chest and begun squeezing unmercifully. He had promised Rona that he would come back for her and now it seemed he would have to break that promise. Odin likely wouldn't change his mind, certainly not any time soon. Years might pass before Loki could even speak to Rona again, and the whole time she would be left thinking he had lied to her. 

The one person in all the realms he'd sworn to never deceive.

***

"Come, Brother! Join us in our revelry!" Thor thumped a goblet of wine onto the table in front of Loki, waving around the room with his free hand.

Loki smiled thinly. "Forgive me, but I don't feel very revelous."

Thor frowned. "You have been home for weeks, why do you still mope so?" 

Loki didn't bother to answer. It _had_ been weeks, day after tedious day of life continuing as it always had for everyone but him. He lived in a haze of misery and hopelessness and long sleepless nights.

Thor crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow lifting. "Might it be something you left behind on Midgard?"

Loki scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. What could there possibly be for me there?"

Thor shrugged. "Perhaps that lovely young Midgardian woman."

At the mention of Rona, Loki's stomach twisted, the pain sharp as a knife. It seemed years since he last saw her, instead of only a few weeks. And what must she think of him? If she thought of him at all.

" _She_ has probably forgotten all about me by now. Midgardians are fickle creatures, you know." He rose from his seat, his long green cloak flapping around his legs as he strode out of the room. Thor followed closely behind him.

"Loki, you have not been yourself since you returned. Something must account for this change."

Loki sighed. "You would not understand, Thor."

"I am your brother."

Loki shook his head in frustration. How could he possibly explain to Thor what knowing Rona had done to him? How an insignificant mortal woman had possessed his soul? Thor would laugh in his face.

"You seem to have very strong feelings for this 'fickle creature.' You haven't fallen for a mortal, have you, Brother?"

Loki stared at him, willing himself to say no. But with Rona's face filling his mind he could not bring himself to do it. He turned away. "It does not matter. Father will never let me return to Midgard."

Thor chuckled. "Now that _certainly_ doesn't sound like the Loki I know. Since when have rules ever stopped you?"

Loki turned with a frown to see Thor grinning at him. "Are you encouraging me to defy Father? That is not like _you,_ Brother."

Thor shrugged. "What good are your tricks if they do not keep you from getting caught?"

***

Loki sat in the darkness of his room, staring out at the stars. Thor's words kept rolling around in his head. For once, his brother had recommended stealth over brute force. And he seemed to have a point. But to openly defy Father? That wouldn't win Loki any points in their brotherly competition. Father hadn't been lying when he talked about stirrings of unrest. There was talk of the Frost Giants' growing dissatisfaction with their position among the realms. Even worse, Den Vakre, a dark goddess that Odin imprisoned centuries ago had escaped. Powerless in her true form, she needed a host body to use her magic, but that just made her more dangerous. She could be anywhere. Anyone. He should stay and help protect the kingdom from all impending threats.

But _Rona_. He longed to see her again, to touch her. The weeks he had been away from her had been utter agony for him. And who would protect _her_ while he was so far away? There must be something he could do.

A knock at the door made him straighten in his chair. He lit a lamp beside him. "Come in." The door swung open slowly and a young Asgardian warrior stepped in, glancing around the room nervously. Loki frowned. "Yes? What is it you want?"

"I overheard your conversation with your brother. About the girl."

Loki's face darkened and he rose from his chair, taking a step forward. "It is not part of your duties to eavesdrop on matters that do not concern you."

The young man bowed his head. "I would like to help."

Loki shook his head. "How could _you_ possibly help _me_?"

"You wish to return to Midgard, yet your father has ordered you to stay here." He raised his head. "What if you could do both?" He smiled, a cold, devious smile, and Loki took a step back, his eyes widening. As if staring into a mirror, he watched the young man's form become a copy of his own.

Loki's eyes narrowed, his voice a menacing hiss. " _Den_."


	12. A Deal with a Devil

The other Loki stepped forward, his smile widening. "Very good. I hoped I wouldn't have to introduce myself." She returned to her original form, which made Loki feel slightly more comfortable. "So what do you say to my offer?"

"Why would I make any sort of a deal with my father's sworn enemy? You would never offer to help me without some other motive."

"That hurts, truly. Do you really believe everything your father tells you?" She stepped closer. "Maybe I am not as bad as he says. Maybe I only want to see young lovers together."

"And what do you get out of it?"

She shrugged. "I get to spend some time as the son of a king instead of this nobody." Her gaze traveled over him slowly. "And you're much more attractive than this useless form."

Loki frowned. "That's all? You just want to play at being royalty?"

"Well, we can discuss what happens after that when you return. _If_ you do." She smiled. "Think of it, Loki. You could stay with your mortal woman as long as you want. And no one would be the wiser."

Loki turned away to hide the conflicting emotions that must have been clearly written on his face. Stay with Rona. She couldn't possibly know how much he wanted that, _yearned_ for it. He wanted to leap at this chance. Was it insanity to think she might actually be sincere, that she would hold up her end of the bargain? He'd heard all the stories about this vile, treacherous creature as a child. 

The thought of being with Rona again made every other concern irrelevant. He would set free every fiend in Asgard's dungeons to return to her. 

"You have a deal, Miss Vakre." He stepped forward, his voice going low and menacing. "But if you do anything to endanger this kingdom or its people, I will personally send you back where you came from."

She smiled. "Enjoy your trip to Midgard, _Master_ Loki."

***

Loki strode purposefully down the Rainbow Bridge wearing his new, borrowed form, possibly the most important illusion he would ever perform. His heart beat painfully fast in anticipation of reuniting with Rona. He only had to make it past Heimdall. That shouldn't be too difficult. With all the threats on the horizon, Odin had been sending warriors to all of the other realms to gather information. Why not Midgard? Granted, the mortals didn't pose much of a threat. But he had a plan for that.

As he expected, Heimdall was cautious about opening the Bifrost. "Why would the All-Father send you to Midgard? There are no threats expected from that realm."

"There are reports that the fugitive, Den Vakre, has escaped to Midgard. If they are true, I am to bring her back."

Heimdall frowned. "How would she have gotten through? No one goes through the Bifrost without my knowledge."

Loki bowed his head in agreement. "Not in a physical body. But in her true form, she could have slipped through unnoticed. Possibly when Thor returned." Heimdall considered that for a moment. "The All-Father believes it is better to err on the side of caution than let such a dangerous creature go free."

Heimdall stared expressionlessly at him and then nodded. "The All-Father is wise. I will open the Bifrost."

Loki turned away so that Heimdall wouldn't see his smile. The nervous thrumming in his body increased to an almost frightening level, as if he might fly apart into a million pieces. He took a deep breath. _I'm actually keeping my promise, Rona. I'm coming back to you._

_***_

When Loki came out of the Bifrost, a blanket of snow covered the city, the bare trees festooned with strings of glittering lights. Discarding his illusion, he hurried off into the deepening night towards Rona's apartment. 

As he climbed the stairs to her door, he imagined the look on her face when she opened it, the surprise, the delight. He had to struggle to conceal his disappointment when his knock was answered. 

"Lex, hello."

A silence stretched for several minutes, and he wondered if she intended to reply at all. "Rona's not here." 

The flatness of her voice sent a spike of fear through him. If something had happened to Rona since he'd left he could never forgive himself. 

"She said she wanted to feel...dazzled tonight." She shrugged. "Whatever that means."

A smile spread over his face. "I believe I know." He turned to leave, and was halfway down the hall before she spoke again. 

"You left." The accusation in her words made him glance back. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, a judgmental frown on her face. "I've never seen her so upset."

He thought of everything Rona had faced in her relatively short life, the abandonment by her father, the death of her mother. Could it really be his leaving that had broken her?

"I can promise you that it will never happen again."

***

The large green metal door was unlocked, just as he thought it would be. He pulled it open and slipped inside, climbing the stairs in the dark. When he came out onto the balcony, he saw Rona leaning against the railing, the wind lifting her hair as she stared out at the city. The throbbing pain he'd carried in his chest for weeks finally eased.

"Once again, we are both admiring two different views."

He heard the sharp intake of her breath as she turned toward him, the moonlight throwing her face into shadow. "Loki? Is it really you?"

Three steps and she was in his arms, his mouth pressed to hers, her fingers tangling in his hair. He swore to himself it would take an army to pry her from his grasp again. 

He lifted his head to smile at her, brushing the hair away from her face with one hand. "I told you I would come back."

"I never doubted, I just wasn't sure how long I would have to wait."

"Longer than I intended." He sighed as his fingers moved across her skin, rosy from the cold air, unable to stop touching her. "But I could not stay away."

She pulled his hand from her face, lacing her fingers with his. She smiled. "Did you miss me so much?"

He frowned. "You know full well how you make me feel. Do you truly require me to say the words?"

She chuckled. "Maybe I do."

He slid his fingers from hers, gripping her waist and pulling her even closer against him. The moonlight turned her eyes into jewels, glowing with a radiant flame. It struck him that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. 

"I know nothing about your ridiculous notions of soulmates, of fate. But I am sure of one thing." He lowered his head, until those eyes seemed to swallow him. "You are mine. And I love you, Rona." He paused, realizing he never intended to say those words to any other woman, and finding the thought both exhilarating and terrifying. "Is there anything else you need me to say?" 

She shook her head, sliding her hands up his arms to clasp his neck. "That is all I need in the world." Her voice shook as she continued. "I love you too, Loki."

He kissed her again just as a thunderous booming sound filled his ears. Glancing up, he saw the sky around them lit up with color, bursting and changing as it fell like shooting stars. 

"What is going on?"

"It's only fireworks." When he stared blankly at her, she grinned. "For New Year's." She looked up at the sparks that danced and crackled across the sky. "Welcome to nineteen-seventy-eight."


	13. Future Plans

Loki watched from his bedroom window as the night faded. The club below him was silent, the last patrons having already stumbled home. He turned, his gaze falling across Rona, her hair dark against his pillows, so still she could have been made from stone. Then her breath whispered out in a sigh and he smiled. They were together, his world was whole, and he would let nothing harm her as long as he lived. 

She stirred, her eyes opening, drifting around the room before landing on him. She smiled. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A couple of hours." He moved toward the bed, plucking his discarded shirt from the floor and slipping it on. "And I am glad you're finally awake, because I am starving." He glanced over at her as he buttoned his shirt. "Do you suppose it's too early for cheesecake?"

Rona laughed before leaning over and retrieving the pale green orb that had fallen from his pocket onto the floor. She turned it over in her hands curiously. 

"What is this?" 

"That is my insurance policy."

"Insurance for what?" 

He hesitated, unsure how to tell her what he'd done, the price he had paid for the freedom to be with her again. A small voice inside him said that she wouldn't understand. Rona was too honest, too principled, she would never condone the risk he'd taken. He pushed the thought of telling her away. If everything went as planned, they would have years before any of that became a concern. When he returned to Asgard, with Rona beside him, he would put Den Vakre back where she belonged, and the whole realm would see him as a hero. _Rona_ would see him as a hero.

"Loki?" 

Her expression had shifted into unease, the orb still clasped in her hands. Smiling, he sank onto the bed beside her and pried it gently from her grasp. 

"It is unimportant." He smoothed her hair, still tousled from sleep. "All that matters now is our future, together."

She didn't return his smile. Her eyes held his gaze as if she were trying to read his thoughts. "I hope you didn't do something that will make it impossible to return home."

"Rona, you _are_ my home." The stark truth of his words made him pause. He could no longer imagine life without her. "I am staying with you."

She shook her head. "But not forever. I'm human, remember. You're going to outlive me."

His jaw clenched. " _Don't_."

"You need to hear this, Loki." She clutched his face as he tried to turn away from her, palms hot on his skin. "I'll get older, I _will_ die. And I need to know that you'll be...okay."

He blinked against the burning in his eyes. He knew that as a mortal her lifespan was barely a fraction of his, but he refused to accept the thought of going on without her. 

"I _won't_. I couldn't possibly..."

"You have to promise me you'll try." 

He gripped her wrists, pulling her hands against his chest, his voice rough. "I do not want to make a promise to you that is impossible to keep." 

"And I don't want to believe my faith in you was misplaced." Her mouth lifted in a sad, sympathetic smile. "Prove to me how powerful you really are, Loki."

He closed his eyes briefly and then nodded. Rona detached herself from him slowly.

"Now, let's get breakfast. There's somewhere I want to take you."

***

Loki watched the crowd of people moving across the large round patch of ice in front of him, bundled in coats and hats and scarves. Rona stood beside him, two odd-looking pairs of boots slung over her shoulder. She noticed the skeptical look on his face and laughed.

"Loki, you can't be in New York in the winter and not go ice skating at Rockefeller Center."

He waved an arm toward the rink. "Mortals really enjoy this sliding around on a frozen lake?"

"Well, it's not exactly a lake, but...yes." She smiled and held up one of the boots, waving its blade at him. "You're so fond of sharp objects, this should be right up your alley."

He frowned. "My what?"

"Or are you scared?" She tilted her head, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. 

"Of course not," he huffed. "I just don't see the point."

"You're probably not familiar with the earthly saying, "I dare you." He narrowed his eyes, shaking his head, and she stepped closer. "Well, if I dare you, and you don't do it, then...I basically own you." She smiled.

Loki glanced out at the handful of skaters spinning around on the ice and then back at Rona, smiling impishly up at him. "Fine." He leaned down until their faces were inches apart. "But if I do this, then I own _you_."

She grinned. "Deal."

She helped him lace up his skates and then led him out onto the ice. He took two steps and went down, landing hard on his back, all the breath whooshing out of him. Rona spun around him in a small circle before stopping herself with the toe of her skate. He glared up at her.

"And you do this for _fun?_ "

She laughed. "Once you get the hang of it." She helped him up, holding both his hands until he'd steadied himself.

"You certainly seem to have done that."

"I started very young." 

She took one of his hands and began pulling him behind her across the ice. He fell a few more times, but after watching the way Rona moved her feet and balanced herself, he began to feel more comfortable. They gradually skated faster, weaving back and forth across the ice, and when Loki had managed to stay on his feet for twenty minutes straight, she let go of his hand.

"You're on your own. Let's see you've got." 

She winked at him and then sailed away across the rink, looping around in ever-shrinking circles until she was spinning in place. He watched her, her hair pinned up in that maddening fashion on top of her head, her bright green scarf twirling around her. She stopped, breathing heavily, the tip of her blade anchoring her to the ice. 

"Well?"

She made it look so easy. He began to skate in slightly wobbly circles, and then, as he gained a rhythm, his confidence grew. Perhaps _too_ much. Before he knew it, his skates were tangled together and it was impossible for him to work out how to pull them apart. He fell backwards, arms waving, and landed in a snowdrift beside the rink, tiny puffs of snow rising around him before settling on his clothes and face.

Rona skated over, laughing. "I guess you need a little more practice."

He watched her bite her lip, her cheeks glowing from the exertion and the chill in the air. Stray pieces of hair had come loose from their pins, floating around her face, and an idea formed in his mind. He groaned as he shifted in the snow.

Rona leaned over him, a frown creasing her forehead. "Are you okay?" 

He waited until she drew close enough to touch and then reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her down into the snow. She squealed as it made its way under her coat. "Ahhh, that's cold!"

"Really? And I thought we were in the middle of a desert." He dragged her over on top of him, brushing the snow from her face. "So, now that I've done this ridiculous activity, I own you. Is that right?"

She bit her lip, nodding her head slowly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, first of all..." He reached up, swiftly removing the remaining pins from her hair. It fell around their faces like a curtain, hiding them from the rest of the world. His hand slid along her cheek to cup the back of her head. 

"And then..." He smiled as he gently pulled her head down to meet his, mouth moving softly against hers, comfortable and unbelievably thrilling at the same time. He wondered that the snow didn't melt into a puddle around them. 

He pulled away, catching his breath. "Let's go away from here, Rona."

"What?"

He sat up, warming to the idea, marveling that it had never occurred to him before. "You wanted to see all of Midgard. Let's do it now."

She considered it silently for a few moments. "Could we...look for my father?"

"Is that what you want?" Loki had little interest in meeting the sort of man who could leave Rona behind, but if it made her happy he thought he might agree to anything. 

She nodded. "I'll never know who I really am if I don't know who I came from."

"Then we will search the entire world until we find him."

She still hesitated, and he reached for her hand, twining his fingers with hers. "It is _your_ turn to promise _me_ , Rona."

A smile flickered briefly across her face. She squeezed his hand. 

"Where will we start?"


	14. Betrayal

As the days passed and they made their plans to leave, Loki felt anticipation building up inside him. The boredom he'd once endured had been replaced by the thrill of discovery he experienced every day he spent with Rona. He shuddered to think how different his life would have been if she never walked into his club that first night, if he'd never looked down from his office and noticed her. He had even begun to think there might be something to her notion of "soulmates" after all.

He had been trying to focus on paperwork, finalize exactly what would happen with the club while they were gone, when Rona walked into his office.

"I thought we were meeting at your apartment."

She smiled as she moved across the room toward him. "I couldn't wait that long." She sat on the edge of his desk, crossing one leg over the other, mouth forming a pout. "Don't tell me you didn't miss me?"

"I'm not saying that." He frowned as his gaze roamed over her, a vague discomfort welling up in him. Something felt...off. "I'm very pleased that you're here."

"Good." Her smile widened as she leaned forward to kiss him, and Loki's gaze drifted, past the collar of her coat, down to the pale, bare skin of her neck. The unease hardened like a rock in his stomach.

"You're not Rona."

She frowned, but the look in her eyes told him he was right. "Why would you say such a ridiculous thing?"

"You forgot the necklace, the one she never takes off, not for any reason." His eyes searched her face, his jaw tightening. "What are you doing here, Vakre?"

She sighed, pulling back, straightening the coat around herself. "What a spoilsport you are." She shrugged. "I got bored, pretending to be a good little prince, bowing to Odin and quarreling with Thor." She shook her head. "I don't know how you've put up with it for so long."

"What did you do?" He found it hard to look at her, still in Rona's form but acting nothing like her. A taunting, preening copy of the woman he loved. How did Den even know about her, know what she meant to him? More terrifying still, what did she plan to do with that knowledge?

She smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "I overpowered Heimdall and opened the Bifrost."

He cursed under his breath. "They know you're gone then?"

She shook her head, a mock regretful look on her face. "No, Loki. They know _you're_ gone. And I'm sure they're not very pleased with you right now."

His body went cold. Why had he ever thought he could trust her for a moment? "You've ruined everything!"

"Never mind that. This realm is here for the taking, we could be gods."

His eyes narrowed. "We?"

She leaned forward again, eyes sparkling. "We could rule together, Loki. Think of it, two clever and powerful beings like us, ruling as equals. This world could be ours."

"I have no interest in joining forces with you."

"But you are interested in this form, aren't you?" She smiled. "I've seen you together, the way you look at her. It is a pleasing form, I'll admit." She ran her hands down the sides of her body. "It's just the sort of host I've been looking for."

Loki's stomach twisted. He rose from his chair, eyes blazing, and Den had enough sense to back away.

"Do not touch her!" 

"I'm offering you everything you've ever wanted! Are you willing to throw it away for that little mortal weakling?" She looked incredulous, furious, her illusion of Rona flickering and returning. Loki took a step toward her.

" _She_ is everything I want. And I will not let you do this." His hands were fisted at his sides, his heart beating like a hammer against his chest, only one thought in his mind. He had to keep her away from Rona.

She gazed at him and then smiled coolly. "I don't think you can stop me." 

He lunged for her just as her form began to change, to grow impossibly large and white and roaring. Loki had enough time to scold himself for ignoring the childhood stories about what she was capable of before an enormous paw swiped him across the head. 

Then...darkness.

***

When he came to, the room was empty and his head throbbed. He pulled himself to his feet, leaning against the desk for support, and touched a hand gingerly to his scalp, hissing at the pain. Glancing at the clock, and noting with alarm just how much time had passed since Den left his office, he reached for the phone and dialed Rona's number. _Please be home. Please be safe_. But the phone only rang and rang, until finally he slammed the receiver down in disgust. 

He dashed for the stairs, trying to control his mounting dread. Den could be any one of the people walking the city streets. He had no idea what she looked like, what illusion she was using now. 

The sky hung flat and gray with clouds as he left the club, the cold seeping into his bones, but Loki barely noticed. He had to find Den before _she_ found Rona. She had said she'd been watching them, so she must know where Rona lived, where she worked. He wondered how many days it had been since she'd escaped Asgard, and he cursed himself for making it possible. He had been so blinded by his need for Rona that he had lost sight of the danger Den posed. And now that danger had her eyes on the only thing that mattered to him. 

As he traveled Rona's familiar routes, eyes keenly scanning the people he passed, his fingers clutched the small green orb in his pocket, his only chance to stop the damage before it got any worse. Three blocks from the library, he found them. The dim light fell across two figures at the end of an alley, one he recognized immediately as Rona, and another, taller but also familiar. With a flash of fear and foreboding, he realized that Den had taken his form and lured Rona into the alley. They were inches apart, locked in a conversation that he couldn't hear. He started down the alley toward them.

"Rona!" 

She turned at the sound of his voice, a smile beginning to creep across her face. But Den's focus didn't waver. He saw the flash of a blade. And then he saw Rona fall.

" _No_!" 

He broke into a run, slamming into Den and driving her back against the wall. She gasped, her illusion dissolving back into the form of the Asgardian warrior whose body she had taken. She still held the knife, and they struggled for it, the blade slicing through Loki's coat, grazing the skin of his chest. Then the hilt was in Loki's hand and without hesitation he drove the knife deep between her ribs, watching her eyes widen and her skin begin to glow as she started to free herself from her physical host.

But he was ready for that. He pulled the orb from his pocket, and as Den left the dying body she had taken, he threw it toward her. It expanded briefly, enclosing her true form, and then fell to the ground, glowing brightly. He retrieved the orb, placing it safely back in his pocket.

"Loki."

The low, weak voice cut through his adrenaline. Heart in his throat, he turned toward Rona.

"No no no no _no_."

She lay where she had fallen, hands clasped against her stomach. The snow bloomed crimson around her. He knelt beside her, pressing her scarf against the wound, but the material quickly grew soaked with her blood. Her eyes fastened firmly on his face. 

"I knew it wasn't you. I knew..." She broke off with a cry when he tried to lift her, squeezing her eyes shut in pain, and he gritted his teeth, cradling her shoulders.

"Shhh, Rona. It's going to be alright." He choked on the words. Second by second, her breathing grew more labored, her skin paler. Her life was ebbing away in front of him and he knew that he would never be able to get her to a hospital in time, no mortal healers could help her now. He only had one hope left.

"Heimdall! He raised his head, screaming at the sky. "Open the Bifrost!"


	15. Enough to Let You Go

He feared she wouldn't survive the trip through the Bifrost, but as he held her against him he still felt the pulse of her heart, the nearly imperceptible rise and fall of her breathing. Guards crowded around them, helping Loki to lift her and carry her to the healers. His mind raced, desperate to get her there in time, terrified of losing her. While they worked to save her, he hovered on the edge of the room, brushing off their attempts to treat the wound on his own head. He'd virtually forgotten about it now.

"Master Loki." He turned to find one of Odin's attendants at his elbow. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

Loki followed the attendant to the throne room, where both his parents waited. Not until he saw the look of shock on his mother's face did he remember that he still wore his Midgardian clothing, bathed in Rona's blood.

"Father. You sent for me?"

Odin seemed not to notice Loki's appearance, or the state of his emotions. "How could you be so irresponsible? You endangered this realm and all the people in it! Not only this realm..."

Loki removed the orb which imprisoned Den Vakre from his pocket and held it out in the palm of his hand. "I made a mistake, but I've brought Den back. She's no danger anymore."

"And that is not all you brought back, is it?" Odin climbed down from his throne, moving across the room towards Loki. "You dare to bring this mortal woman here?'

"Father, I had to, she was dying!"

Odin looked unimpressed and absolutely furious. "She does not belong here!"

"But I love her!" Loki's outburst startled even himself. He saw his mother shift forward in her seat, but she remained silent. "We belong with each other. Please, let her stay."

Odin shook his head. "No, I cannot allow it. She must go back to her own realm, and you will remain here. You will not return to Midgard."

"I can't, I won't do that!" Loki took a step back, as if he would run, take Rona and disappear. Odin stepped forward, his face stern and completely unyielding.

"You will! Or I will send her back now, whether the healers have finished their job or not."

Loki paled. "You would let her die? But she has done nothing wrong!"

"No, you did, Loki!" 

Odin's anger had become nearly a physical presence in the room, his face splotched with red. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and dangerously calm. 

"It is your choice whether both of you answer for it now." He strode from the room without waiting for a reply. Loki turned to Frigga, who stepped down from her throne and crossed the room toward him.

"Mother, he wouldn't do that, would he?" He heard the desperation in his voice, but he was beyond caring. He could feel Rona slipping away from him.

Frigga laid a hand on his arm. "Loki, your father does what he feels is necessary for the safety of this realm. It may be hard to see that now. Sometimes we must make sacrifices."

Loki shook his head. "But why _this_ sacrifice? What harm could it do if she stayed?"

"You said you loved her." She waited for his nod of affirmation before smiling gently. "Sometimes love means letting someone go."

Her words cut him to the core, so like the words he'd heard from Rona's own mouth not so long ago. Now he saw that their entire relationship had been leading inevitably to this moment. The moment he would have to say goodbye. 

*** 

The healers had placed Rona in his room once their work was done, assuring him she would recover fully. She rested now on his bed, hands laying loosely at her sides. They had removed her blood-soaked clothes, replacing them with a simple green dress, and she looked peaceful, safe, her breathing slow and strong. Loki watched her for a moment before leaning down, bracing his hands on either side of her body and kissing her gently.

She woke with a start, gasping, and he dropped to the bed beside her, his hands moving to her waist. "Shhh, Rona. You're safe." Her eyes were wild as they met his. One hand dropped to her abdomen, searching for the wound, and he covered her hand with his own. "You're going to be alright. You'll probably have a nasty scar, but...you'll be fine."

Her breathing slowing, she glanced around the room. "Where are we?"

"My home." He smiled. "My room."

Her gaze landed on him again. "What happened?"

His smile faded. "I made a mistake. I let someone very dangerous get away, and..."

"The person who looked like you?" He nodded. "Did you stop them?"

"Yes. They won't be hurting anyone again." He bit his lip, scarcely able to bring himself to say the words. "But there are certain...consequences for my actions." She stared at him expectantly and he found he could hardly breathe. Tightening his fingers around hers, he forced the despicable words from his mouth. "Rona. You have to go home now."

"Alone?" She looked so calm, like she wasn't falling apart inside as he was, but he could feel her fingers trembling. He nodded. When she spoke again her voice wavered. "So this goodbye...it's real."

He brushed the hair away from her face, his fingers sliding down her cheek. "Rona, I wish I could explain to you..."

She shook her head. "We knew this day would come, I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon." She looked away, smiling sadly. "I suppose now I understand my father better."

He gently turned her head back to face him. "I don't _want_ this. You must know that it is not _my_ choice to let you go." He kissed her slowly. "And I will love you as long as I am alive." 

They both turned at the sound of the door opening. Two guards came in to escort Rona to the Bifrost. Loki raised a hand. "That won't be necessary. I will bring her."

***

They didn't speak as Loki led her to the Bifrost. Rona's head twisted from side to side as she tried to take in the entire city in this one moment of time. She turned to him as they stepped up to the gate. 

"Your home is so beautiful."

He smiled down at her. "It's never been more dazzling than it is right now." 

She closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks unhindered. Then she lifted the pendant that hung from her neck, pulling it over her head, and placed it in Loki's hand. 

"Rona, I can't take this! It should stay with you, with your family."

"You _are_ my family." She leaned up to kiss his cheek, whispering her last words against his ear. "I will love you until my last breath, Loki." 

She stepped away, smiling so brightly he couldn't breathe. He nodded at Heimdall, unable to speak. Then he watched as the Bifrost took her away from him.

"Heimdall..." He paused, his voice sounding raw to his ears. "She must be protected."

"Your father has forbidden you to ever return to Midgard."

Loki's jaw tightened. He would never see Rona again, and somehow everyone expected him to just accept it, to let her go as if she'd meant nothing to him. 

"Yes, I am aware of that. But...I need to know that she is safe."

Heimdall studied him for a moment, his face unreadable. Finally he nodded, his voice unexpectedly kind when he spoke. "No harm will come to her on my watch."

Loki nodded, not trusting himself to speak again. There was nothing more he could do. He would never see Rona again, never touch her, or hear her voice. He fingered the metal shard she had placed in his hand, wondering how he could go back to his old life now, a life that seemed so terribly empty without her. But...Rona had given him her necklace so that he would always have a piece of her, so he would not forget her love, her faith in him. She believed he could be a great man. 

Sliding the chain over his head, he turned and started back up the bridge. He would prove that Rona's belief in him had not been unfounded.

Even if she would never know.

**The End**


End file.
